The former winger, capped 101 times by his country, accused O'Sullivan of losing his sense of reality. "What was Eddie O'Sullivan thinking with his suggestion that Australia is the best side on the planet? , " he said. "Was it revenge for Australia stealing victory over Ireland by a single point at the 2003 World Cup?

"Or maybe payback for making his team the lone victim in a nine-test sequence when the Wallabies won just one game before Eddie Jones was punted last year? Maybe Eddie O'Sullivan planned it all to fire up the All Blacks ahead of next week's TriNations opener against Australia in Christchurch.

Perhaps there is a more innocent explanation [but] whatever the reason, it was not a comment grounded in reality."

Campese hails the All Blacks as the team to beat but admits he would be happy to be proved wrong. "Australia has failed to beat the All Blacks in New Zealand since 2001. It would be an enormous confidence boost, and if it does happen, O'Sullivan will give us the 'I told you so' line from Dublin. Then again, at this stage, that's a rebuke we'd all gladly accept."