STORM THEM!
Schmidt: Ignore typhoon talk to make last eight
JOE SCHMIDT has told his squad to block out the World Cup chaos caused by Typhoon Hagibis and focus on their own destiny, beginning with tomorrow’s pivotal Pool A clash with Samoa.
World Cup chiefs yesterday took the unprecedented step of cancelling two games due to safety concerns around the impending storm, which is due to strike Tokyo and Yokohama this weekend.
New Zealand’s meeting with Italy was cancelled as well as the top-of-the-table clash between England and France while the key Pool A encounter between Japan and Scotland is in the balance.
The result of that game could have a major bearing on Ireland’s World Cup campaign, but a bonus-point win over the Samoans tomorrow morning will guarantee Schmidt’s men a place in the knockout stages, regardless of external forces.
‘For us the next 48 hours, build-up is our full focus,’ said the Ireland head coach.
‘We can’t really afford to be distracted by any other matches that may or may not be played.
‘We’ve just got to make sure we get our preparation right and then the performance on the back of that preparation is as good as we can make it
to make sure that whatever destiny we do manage to attain is including another game and we get to stay on for another week, whether it’s to play the All Blacks or whether it’s to play South Africa.’
Scotland will be eliminated from the tournament if Sunday’s game game against the tournament hosts in Yokohama is cancelled.
It would be a cruel blow to Gregor Townsend’s squad, who suffered a 27-3 loss to Ireland on the opening weekend of the World Cup.
But skipper Rory Best, who has been recalled to the starting line-up, said there is little room for sentiment.
‘I think ultimately safety has to be paramount and that has to come first,’ he said.
‘I can’t really comment much on it until the dust settles. We’re here at a press conference ahead of a Samoa game. If we get the result we want, we’re into a quarter-final. Whether we get to watch an 80 minutes to decide who tops the pool, that remains to be seen.
‘Ultimately, for us, all we’re focusing on is the Samoa game. If we get to the final whistle and we get a performance and a result then we’ll look at what’s happening. For us it’s about making sure we get to a quarter-final.’
Should Ireland progress to the quarter final stage, they are likely to face an All Blacks side with a fortnight’s rest under the belts after their final pool game with the Azzurri was called off.
‘I think when you’ve had a long lead-in like we’ve had, and we’ve had some games concertina together quite closely, I think it’s always an advantage,’ said Schmidt.
‘That would be my personal opinion. I think it would be the opinion of any coach you ask. I did read a little bit on Eddie Jones. He looked fairly disappointed that he was going to head off on a mini-camp and do some really good training on the Saturday and have a few beers.
‘They’re doing that we’ll be rolling our sleeves up trying to combat a Samoa side that has heaps of talent and will be inevitably physical because that’s how they play the game and that’s how the game tends to be played at the top level.’
Robbie Henshaw has recovered from a hamstring injury and will make his first appearance of the tournament at outside centre tomorrow.
Tadhg Beirne has been selected on the blindside flank ahead of Munster team-mate Peter O’Mahony and will form a new-look backrow alongside Josh van der Flier and CJ Stander.
After Jack Conan returned home due to serious foot injury and his replacement Jordi Murphy suffered a rib injury against Russia, Schmidt has had to dig deep into Ireland’s backrow reserves.
‘We’re trying to share the load to be honest, we’ve tried to rotate the back-row a little bit after the six and five-day turnaround,’ he added.
‘Some guys had to double up and they’ve had more involvements than what we had anticipated. Plus losing Jack Conan who we named to play against Japan but had to make a late change which meant we had to use up more of the mileage available in the back-row.’
Meanwhile, Bundee Aki has been backed to set Ireland’s emotional tempo against Samoa this weekend.
Aki was born in Auckland to Samoan parents but joined Connacht in 2014 and qualified for Ireland on residency.
The 29-year-old has warmed to life in Galway and has become an integral part of Joe Schmidt’s Ireland side.
The 22-cap powerhouse centre will take on the likes of close friend and Samoa full-back Tim Nanai-Williams this weekend but has been tipped to thrive on that particular pressure.
Lock James Ryan hailed Aki for pushing his team-mates to greater heights with his abrasive approach, setting the physical and emotional tone.
‘He leads with his actions when he plays; he puts in big hits, he makes big carries,’ said Leinster lock Ryan.
‘He’s a very easy person to follow in that regard. He really leads in the way he plays.
‘If he puts in a big hit or goes forward with the ball, I think it gives everyone a lift.
‘Ever since he came in, Bundee has added real value. He’s looking forward to this week. He met a couple of the Samoan boys yesterday for food.’
“It’s always an advantage to have a really long lead-in”