Page 26 - Irish Examiner USA

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26

2019 POOL A Ireland Have No Surprises For

16th, Ireland Saturday October 12th Samoa All Blacks Says Schmidt
47-5
October Japan Sunday October 13th Scotland
28-21

| Japan P W D 0 13 115 62 +53 3 19
PF PA +/- BP Pts
TF
L
EXAMINER Ireland 4 3 0 1 18 121 27 +94 4 16
0
4
4
55 +64
2
3
4
16 119
Scotland
0
11
2
1
8
3
1
0
4
5
Samoa
58 128 -70
IRISH Russia 4 0 0 4 1 19 160 -141 0 0
POOL B
Saturday October 12th
New Zealand P-P Italy
Namibia P-P Canada
P W D L TF PF PA +/- BP Pts
New Zealand4 3 1 0 22 157 22+135 2 16
South Africa 4 3 0 1 27 185 36+149 3 15
Italy 4 2 1 1 14 98 78 +20 2 12
Namibia 4 0 1 3 3 34 175 -141 0 2
Canada 4 0 1 3 2 14 177 -163 0 2 Joe Schmidt admits Ireland’s maiden two victories over New Zealand have
denied his side the element of surprise in Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final.
POOL C Ireland stunned New Zealand 40-29 in Chicago in November 2016, for their
first-ever win over the All Blacks, in 111 years of trying.
Saturday October 12th Head coach Schmidt’s men then pulled off a first win over New Zealand in
England P-P France Dublin in November, with Jacob Stockdale’s try sealing a 16-9 Aviva Stadium
Sunday October 13th triumph.
USA 19-31 Tonga New Zealand have recalibrated their approach into a twin-playmaker sys-
tem in part in the wake of those two Ireland losses, and Schmidt knows that
P W D L TF PF PA +/- BP Pts could ultimately now leave the All Blacks an even tougher prospect this week-
England 4 3 1 0 17 119 20 +99 3 17 end.
France 4 3 1 0 9 79 51 +28 1 15 “We’re certainly not going to sneak up on them any more; we’re not going
Argentina 4 2 0 2 14 106 91 +15 3 11 to surprise them,” said Schmidt.
Tonga 4 1 0 3 9 67 105 -38 2 6 “I think they are well aware of how we play and what they are going to do
USA 4 0 0 4 7 52 156 -104 0 0 to combat that, and what they are going to put into their own armory to make
sure that we are chasing them about.
POOL D “But I wouldn’t be a great believer in that you learn more from your losses,
you learn more from every experience.
Friday October 11th “There are so many variables that go into a result in a Test match that I
Australio 27-8 Georgia learn from every win, loss or draw that we have, just because you get that lit-
Sunday October 13th tle bit more information about an individual player, or how this sequence
Wales 35-13 Uruguay works or how that defensive map went at that particular time.
“So I’ve got huge respect for Steve Hansen, Ian Foster, the full coaching
P W D L TF PF PA +/- BP Pts staff.
“They can be creative around the lineout and the scrum, and there are a
Wales 4 4 0 0 17 136 69 +67 3 19 host of challenges for us.”
Australia 4 3 0 1 20 136 68 +68 4 16 New Zealand are chasing an unprecedented third successive World Cup
Fiji 4 1 0 3 17 110 108 +2 3 7 crown in Japan, and vastly-experienced boss Steve Hansen continues to favor
Georgia 4 1 0 3 9 65 122 -57 1 5 starting Richie Mo’unga at fly-half and Beauden Barrett at full-back.
Uruguay 4 1 0 3 6 60 140 -80 0 4 Barrett’s switch from fly-half leaves New Zealand boasting two natural

playmakers in their starting backline, adding extra creative layers to an already
QUARTERFINALS hugely-threatening All Blacks attack.
Captain Kieran Read conceded the All Blacks adjusted their approach off the
Saturday October 19th back of those two Ireland losses – and will now aim to crystallize any improve-
(QF1) England v Australia (3.15am) ment by beating one of their most challenging opponents.
(QF2) New Zealand v Ireland (6.15am) Asked if Saturday’s knockout clash is the chance to prove New Zealand
Sunday October 20th have improved because of those two losses, Read replied: “That’s our aim,
(QF3) Wales v France (3.15am) isn’t it? To play well this weekend. We’ll find out after the game.
(QF4) Japan v South Africa (6.15am) “The Irish are a good side as well, a really good side. They perhaps haven’t
played to their potential throughout this World Cup but in a World Cup final
SEMI-FINALS game it’s whoever turns up on the day and it could be just a couple of oppor-

tunities that present themselves on the day, for either side.
Saturday October 26th “In those couple of games, they’ve taken theirs and we haven’t so it will
Winner, Quarter-Final 1 v Winner, Quarter-Final 2 (4am) come down to that again.
Sunday October 27th “I think we’re in a good place to be at at this time in the tournament so I’m
Winner, Quarter-Final 3 v Winner, Quarter-Final 4 (5am) looking forward to that.” C