Ireland not happy with state of pitch in Fukuoka

IRELAND avoided the destructive path of Typhoon Hagibis but they now have another worry — the pitch in Fukuoka ahead of today’s match with Samoa. Large patches of the stadium’s turf were relaid after Italy’s 48-7 win over Canada, and again after France beat the USA 33-9. Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt was visibly frustrated by the state of the surface during the captain’s run yesterday, identifying clear sections of the turf which could create problems for footing or stray studs. However, scrum coach Greg Feek revealed World Rugby have given both teams assurances the pitch remains safe for action ahead of a must-win game for the Irish. A bonus-point victory will guarantee safe passage to the quarter-finals. ‘They told us in an email they had to relay the pitch,’ said Feek. ‘So we just went out there, had an inspection and we’ve been given all the assurances by World Rugby that it’s safe to play on and that’s all we can ask. ‘Obviously I don’t want to predict anything or cause any more controversy at this stage. We just try to back the players and trust the pitch will do its job.’ Wing Keith Earls didn’t sound overly concerned yesterday and implied the surface perhaps looks more problematic than it feels underfoot. ‘It doesn’t look great to be honest,’ he said. ‘But out there it’s flat and firm — it doesn’t feel too bad to run on. It’s going to be the same for both teams. ‘It’s been inspected and deemed playable and that’s the way it felt out there today.’