IT’LL BE A CAR CRASH IF WE PLAY LIKE THAT

JOE SCHMIDT accepts Ireland have gears to find if they hope to be at the races against New Zealand this weekend.

“We have to tidy up some elements of play,” said Schmidt, who turned to a motoring analogy after Saturday’s scrappy 28-17 win over Argentina.

“I think it demonstrates that we need to get the car tuned,” he said. “We’re going to need the cohesion a smoothrunning vehicle has.

“What we can’t do is have untidy elements because they (New Zealand) love to play off those; when things become unstructured

“I just think that if we’re untidy as we were tonight (against Argentina), it’s going to be very tough, tough day at the office.”

With Ireland lying second in the IRB rankings, Schmidt is relishing the prospect of going toe-to-toe with the only team above them.

In their last two visits to Dublin, the All Blacks won 24-22 with a dramatic injury time try in 2013 then bulldozed their way to a 21-9 win in

2016, two weeks after their first ever defeat to the Irish in Chicago.

“It’s exciting,” said Schmidt.

“Because the two times we have played them here... I remember the roar in 2013 was phenomenal.

“When we were driving that line-out with 10 minutes to go, the roar was just deafening.

“It was the same last time we played them; they scored a phenomenal try very quickly at the start of the game that was pure All Blacks class. The speed of the ruck, the speed of transfer, the quality of the passing and the running lines... all of those things that we know are coming, they presented.

“There’s no doubt they’ll want to hit the ground running in a similar fashion and we have got to be ready to do the same.”

Schmidt branded Sean O’brien’s arm break following a first half tackle on Pumas lock Tomas Lavanini (inset) a “freak accident”.

He said: “Sean has been a bit of a thorn in the All Blacks’ sides as far as his performances go.

“I’m gutted for him and he’s gutted for himself that he won’t get that opportunity (on Saturday).”