'We need to be ready for it' - Johnny Sexton bracing for All Blacks ...
The theory that Ireland would be better off facing the All Blacks than their French hosts in a World Cup quarter-final has been parroted for weeks now. Ever since those two sides met in the tournament’s opening game at the start of September.
Ireland will indeed face New Zealand after their demolition job on Scotland in Pool B, and that earlier win against the Springboks, but Beauden Barrett spoke for a nation earlier this week when he talked about the desire to atone for their series loss to Andy Farrell’s men last summer.
This one will feel personal.
"We always knew we were most likely to play France or New Zealand,” said Sexton. “There's no easy option there and now we've got New Zealand, so it will be a very tough game. I see that they were talking about revenge already and stuff like that, so it will be a game they want and we need to be ready for it."
Ireland can do little more in terms of steeling themselves for the test to come. Farrell has challenged and cajoled his side for four years with a combination of carrot and stick and embarking on a five-match tour of New Zealand in 2022, two of them against the Māoris, was an enormous part of that.
“We went to New Zealand and Andy told us he'd put us under the most pressure he could find. To go on a three-Test tour but also to do the midweek games, it was to test us and to make us learn and we learnt so many lessons on that tour to take with us for the Six Nations, to win a Grand Slam, and it's to put us in this situation to have to play them again.
“They've already said it's one that they want and when they're hurting and they want to put it right, that's the biggest challenge in rugby, to try and beat them when they're in that frame of mind. Two teams will both be under pressure for different reasons and it will be who copes with that the best and who can put their game out there on the biggest day when the pressure is on.” Whatever about the merits or otherwise of playing one team or other, there is an undeniable advantage in facing New Zealand in terms of the backdrop. There will be French fans there, but not that the masses, passionate ranks of blue as they cheer on their own boys. This will be a green-tinged spectacle.
“All our focus was, 'let's win the pool'. You don't pick and choose, you just do your best,” said Sexton. “Now that we do have New Zealand, it's likely we'll have more supporters there which will hopefully give us a lift at certain times.
“We've played New Zealand plenty of times and they've come into some good form themselves over the last few weeks. It's going to be a hell of a game and we just need to prepare right over the next few days and get the best performance we can out there.” ENDS
