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Published 17:17 21 Sept 2019 BST
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You had to feel for the current squad when, days after we beat New Zealand at home for the first time, fans were slotting readily into two camps.
Win more than you don't. Our three defeats this year have all arrived when our forwards and midfield duo lost the physical battles. James Ryan and Iain Henderson are our starting locks because Schmidt wants this area addressed. That is also why Bundee Aki will start most games in Japan. Again, the Dublin win over Wales was a positive sign with the Irish forwards dominant in every aspect. England may have most fearsome collection of big men in the competition but Ireland would be unlikely to face them until late in the knock-out stages.
(Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile)[/caption]
If Dave Kilcoyne (above) can replicate his cannonball feats of the final two warm-up games, this is exactly what we're talking about. In all likelihood, the midweek game against Russia will be when we see almost all the frontliners rested. Rhys Ruddock is set to captain that XV and the Russians should be flagging by then so a 40+ point victory is on. We saw in 2015 how Jordi Murphy and Luke Fitzgerald stepped up for Ireland. 2019 will need the likes of Kilcoyne, Niall Scannell, Tadhg Beirne and Chris Farrell to take whatever fleeting chances, and starts, they get to make a real impact.
Jordan Larmour is not a surprise element any more but a good start in Japan could tee him off for an amazing six weeks.
"You're a wonderful player. A f**king wonderful player."Furlong has been at the top of the three for the past three and a half years but he's not the only one. Johnny Sexton is the reigning World Player of the Year, Jacob Stockdale is on-course to smash try-scoring records for his country, Conor Murray is, on his day, the best No.9 in the world and Peter O'Mahony is one of the gnarliest nuisances in Test rugby. James Ryan is ready to confirm himself as one of the very finest locks in the world over the next six weeks. If Ireland get anything like the standards we now expect from those six players, they will be set for a long run. The World Cup is often remembered for moments of individual genius but if the spine of a starting XV is in form, they are normally the two sides that will make the final. The All Blacks, in their 2011 to 2019 reign as world champions, won the tight games because they did the basics so well. When Ireland are at the best, you can say likewise. This is a team, remember, that went to England in 2018 and claimed a Grand Slam at Twickenham without breaking sweat. [caption id="attachment_189052" align="aligncenter" width="640"]
(Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile)[/caption]
On top of all that, the scrum has to hold firm and we need to get back to relying on good ball from our lineout. Henderson and Ryan - we are looking at you - no pressure.
As Ireland winger Eimear Considine pointed out during that live House of Rugby show, no team has won a World Cup without winning all seven games.
This, even more so than the Six Nations, is a competition that is all about momentum. Build the wins, build the confidence, avoid the injuries and pray that the close decisions go your way. Do that, and you're closer than ever.
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