‘Your homework this week is… ‘
Joe Schmidt and Ireland have put themselves on the opposite side of the World Cup draw from defending champions New Zealand.
The only way Ireland will now face the All Blacks will be in the final or, if things go south, the 3rd place playoff.
In the aftermath of Ireland’s 24-9 victory over France, on Sunday, Schmidt was asked if he was happier his side would be facing Argentina in the last eight.
The Kiwi’s answer goes a long way to explaining just how meticulous and passionate he is about rugby.
“The biggest attraction for us,” he began, “in terms of playing Argentina, was the seven-day turnaround.
“They have been incredibly good, not just since the World Cup started. I had a really good look at their [Rugby Championship] win in Durban. To put the South Africans away like that is a major performance.
“They have cruised through that group. They maybe should have been further ahead of the All Blacks at half-time. That didn’t work out for them at the end but they put the All Blacks under a tremendous amount of pressure.
“For us, the physicality, speed and skill of the Argentineans is going to challenge us massively. The set-piece is going to be a challenge.”
Schmidt continued, “For us, really, to be honest, today was a bit of an end point. We haven’t done too much work on looking ahead, just behind we didn’t know who we would be playing. We have that much respect for the French that we knew it was going to be incredibly tough.
“We wanted to stay fresh and take a fresh look at the week ahead once we got this game done.”
“Make no mistake,” Schmidt went on, “I have certainly kept a close eye on them.
“(Martin) Landajo has put together some impressive stuff. Out wide, there is some real talent that we’ll have to try and shut down.
“They’ve got Juan Imhoff, who came off the bench today. Some of the performances he’s had, with his speed and ability to beat a man. (Santiago) Cordero has been a phenomenal player for them. Across the board, whether it is (Tomas) Cubelli or Landajo at 9.
“Then, up front, you know you are going to have a tough day out with (Mracus) Ayerza and (Augustin) Creevy, (Nahuel Tetaz) Chaparro and (Ramiro) Herrera – those sort of guys in the front row.
“The loose forwards… I think the problem for [Argentina coach] Daniel Hourcade sometimes is who he leaves out rather than who he puts in because there is some fantastic young talent in the back row, as well as the experienced guys like (Juan Martin) Fernandez Lobbe. So I haven’t had a look at them but I know a few of them.”
*Laughter across the press room*
“It doesn’t make me feel particularly comfortable, to be honest,” Schmidt concluded.
Who is he kidding?
Expect a new game-plan to be implemented from as early as Tuesday morning.
