‘Joe’s legacy is massive but he won’t be making any tackles’
happened in the past, in terms of getting to world number one and thinking that we’re going to fall off a cliff because this shouldn’t be happening to Ireland,’ he said.
‘But what we’ve tried to do is throw ourselves into challenges and meet them head on and embrace that.
‘We don’t want to be second best, we want to be first best.’
They will have to do so with a squad becoming thinned out by the injuries that are inevitable a month into such a gruelling competition.
Hansen’s fitness is becoming a critical issue not merely because of his importance to how Ireland play, but also due to two vastly experienced alternatives being unfit for consideration this week.
Jimmy O’Brien is named instead of Stuart McCloskey as the utility back among the replacements, and he would be expected to come in and start if Hansen is declared unfit.
With Keith Earls ruled out with a hamstring problem, McCloskey would be called up to the bench in the event of O’Brien starting.
Robbie Henshaw, like Earls is also hamstrung for this week. As expected, James Ryan’s wrist injury keeps him out, with Farrell suggesting all those injured could be back in contention should Ireland make the semi-finals.
“We don’t want to be second best”
The magnitude of the task ahead of Ireland in clearing the All Black hurdle, is becoming clearer as Saturday draws nearer.
They reveal their team later this evening, and do not have fitness concerns to the extent that Ireland do.
The willingness of their players to discuss the hurt caused by losing a series at home to Ireland last year merely thickens Saturday’s plot.
Ireland’s recent record against New Zealand is formidable, winning five of the eight meetings between the countries since 2016.
‘You can look at the last few games, (or) you can say the last time we played them in the quarter-final we got beaten out the gate,’ said captain Johnny Sexton, referring to the record 46-14 hiding Ireland took from New Zealand at the quarter-final stage in 2019.
‘It doesn’t really matter. The players, despite us winning the series down there, they were incredibly tough games. So they know what’s coming, they know how tough it’s going to be.
‘And that’s the most important thing, the physicality that New Zealand bring, the pace they play at, they’re all the things we talk about.’
The fall-out from that loss to the All Blacks four years ago was messy, with the departing Joe Schmidt shouldering much of the responsibility in the IRFU’s tournament review.
That highlighted ‘performance anxiety’ affecting the team. Farrell was sanguine when asked how he would deal with any nerves in the hours and days up to kick-off in the Stade de France.
‘At this stage, it’s all about preparation and recovery, and making sure there’s an ownership of the plan that you’re going to try to apply to the opposition at the weekend.’ he said.
‘We immerse ourselves in that; it’s the only way it should be. Of course things start to creep in, but we’ve tools and experience to combat all that. The main part is to remember that we’re a bloody good team that play together and, when we do that, you’re not on your own, are you? So you can get away from those type of thoughts.’
Schmidt has been the figure commanding most attention this week, given his tremendous record with Ireland and now his role as mastermind of the New Zealand attack.
Sexton was his key lieutenant during his time in this country, and he sees signs of Schmidt’s influence on the All Blacks in the 12 months since he joined the back-room team of his native land.
‘Yeah, I think so,’ said Sexton. ‘I think you can see evidence of Joe’s coaching through the team. They’ve made big strides over the last 12 months, and I know they’ve a different forwards coach as well from when we were there.
‘It’s a big challenge but Joe knows us well, we know him well, but Joe doesn’t get to make any tackles or run any lines at the weekend.
‘We just have to worry about the players we’re playing against and not too much about him, but the legacy he left in Irish rugby is massive.
‘His record here is outstanding and so we’ll look forward to having a beer with him after the game.’