Irish coach Joe Schmidt thinks his side have 'poked the bear,' and think the All Blacks will be sharper and more aggressive. Photo / Photosport
The New Zealand-born Ireland national coach will try to counter a furious All Blacks response to their loss in Chicago to the men in green by keeping them "in the bubble" this week, avoiding all media hype, as they prepare for this weekend's hugely anticipated rematch.
After 111 years of
fixtures between the two countries, Ireland's first-ever victory over the All Blacks, a stunning 40-29 win on neutral ground in the US two weekends ago, has turned the Dublin encounter into a national event as Schmidt's men attempt to complete a famous double over the world champions.
"It [the hype] doesn't bear thinking about for me," he said. "We will just try to get back out there really well rested, really well prepared and hopefully that is our part of the deal. And I know what other people will bring. I think that will be a jam-packed Aviva with lots of volume and we will try, I suppose, to live up to deserving that."
A second string Ireland team put Canada to the sword last weekend but the Canadians faded badly after the break as Ireland's players upped the tempo, trying to force their way into Schmidt's plans for this weekend. The Kiwi admitted his team's failure to back up their win in the first Test of their tour to South Africa this summer had left a cloud, adding that they would need to raise their levels again from Chicago even to stand a chance on Saturday, having now "poked the bear".
"We would love to back it up," he said. "Within the group we had real frustration coming off that South African tour because we felt that we had missed an opportunity.
