Quilter Autumn Nations Series: Ireland v Japan, Aviva Stadium, KO Saturday, 12.40pm, live on RTÉ2, RTÉ Radio and TNT Sports
A rebooted Ireland team have had a reset after last week’s deflating and disappointing defeat to the All Blacks. In normal circumstances therefore, hosting the Brave Blossoms might almost seem anticlimactic, and something of a no-win game, but now it is not only a must-win game, but one Ireland need to win convincingly as well.
Encouragingly, despite the unfavourable 12.40pm kick-off, the game is practically a sell-out for a game made particularly notable by the welcome return of Ireland captain Caelan Doris as one of eight changes to the starting XV. Mindful of the four-game November programme and trip to Chicago, Andy Farrell has also refreshed the match-day 23 with eight players who did not feature in last week’s 26-13 loss to New Zealand.
Back in the starting line-up and as captain after last week’s return off the bench following his six-month lay-off, Doris took his cue from Andy Farrell’s demand that this Ireland team stand for something, notable in attitude, physicality and mental toughness.
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“If you look back to 2021, this game was Johnny Sexton’s 100th cap and I think this game probably put us on an upward trajectory,” said Doris in reference to the 60-5 win when the two countries last met.
“There have been some positives over the last year or two, we’ve had some big wins and some big performances but probably been inconsistent, not quite at where we want to be operating and there’s recognition of that, there’s recognition of a bit of a reset at the minute.
“There’s no lack of belief or doubt in our potential and in what we can do. It’s just about getting out and delivering on it. That’s been a focus of this week, of bringing the best of ourselves and hopefully there will be an upward trajectory from here as well.”
Doris believes he is mentally fresher for his enforced six-month absence from the game, during which he went to northern California to undergo a digital detox, thus missing the three Lions Tests before watching them subsequently.
“I loved it actually,” he said of his digital detox. “First day, a little bit challenging, kind of missed the evening scroll a little bit, but by day two, it was great. I didn’t miss it at all. I was reluctant to go back on my phone.”
Another positive was improving himself physically.
“Like, my hips have been at me for quite a while before, so getting on top of those. My body feels a lot better coming back in now. But yeah, I suppose kind of separating who I am from what I do was a bit of an overarching goal for the period and kind of building more self-awareness and exploration around that kind of thing.”
As with Ireland in light of their 2019 World Cup pool defeat by 19-12 to Japan in Shizuka, South African rugby will never forget how they were mugged by Eddie Jones and Japan in Brighton at the 2015 World Cup, witness how Rassie Erasmus afforded them all due respect last week with a strong, vastly experienced selection. The Springboks’ starting line-up boasted a total of 781 caps, with a further 182 caps among their replacements.
Following their 61-7 hammering by a ruthless South Africa in Wembley last week, Eddie Jones has made three changes to Japan’s starting XV. The livewire Toulouse scrumhalf Naoto Saito, lock Epineri Uluiviti and number eight Faulua Makisi come into the team, with Shinobu Fujiwara, Jack Cornelsen and 37-year-old mainstay Michael Leitch dropping to the bench.
Clearly the bookies had the last meeting in 2021 and Japan’s result last week in mind when setting the odds, with Paddy Power making Ireland a whopping 39-point favourites, and less so the Brave Blossoms pushing Joe Schmidt’s Australia to a hard-earned 19-15 win in Tokyo the week previously, which Doris believes is a “more accurate” barometer.
“They work extremely hard regardless of the scoreline. They stay in it, both sides of the ball. Pretty relentless work rate. You can see that the whole way through their attack as well. Guys like [Faulua] Makisi, both their centres are very direct, strong carriers.
“But they also have the ability to play deep and wide. Play a bit of a zigzag game at times as well. So their attack is going to be a test for us. That was one of the big takeaways from last weekend. We felt we were quite passive defensively, particularly in that last quarter, last 30 minutes. So trying to get a bit more line speed in this week would be a focus.”
Something of a stylistic outlier in the modern game, Japan will be good value for the near full-house.
If Ireland are to subdue them, and impose their own game, they will need to be way more accurate in both how they win the ball and retain it than they were a week ago. There will be particular focus on the lineout and on the Craig Casey-Jack Crowley to bring their understanding to bear, to bring control and game management, but also sparks of individuality.
There have been few more heartwarming stories, nor more hard-earned debuts, than their Munster team-mate Tom Farrell, discarded by Leinster a decade ago and by Connacht two seasons ago. His prize is now something much bigger than just a one-off cap, and while the oldest Irish back to make his debut in the professional era, he ought also have the strength of mind to grasp this chance.
Opportunity also knocks for the Ulster pair of Nick Timoney and Jacob Stockdale, and whatever stages of their careers, be it Thomas Clarkson or Robbie Henshaw, or the callow frontrow replacements Paddy and Gus McCarthy, or Cian Prendergast and Jimmy O’Brien, they should be straining at the leash.
Farrell’s demands for a performance that stands for something may have heightened the stakes, and so, as with the 2021 game against Japan, could well represent something of a landmark, for the team and individuals.
