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Joe Schmidt admits Ireland\u2019s maiden two victories over New Zealand have denied his side the element of surprise in Saturday\u2019s World Cup quarter-final.<\/p>\nJoe Schmidt admits Ireland\u2019s maiden two victories over New Zealand have denied his side the element of surprise in Saturday\u2019s World Cup quarter-final.<\/p>\n
Ireland stunned New Zealand 40-29 in Chicago in November 2016, for their first-ever win over the All Blacks, in 111 years of trying.<\/p>\n
Head coach Schmidt\u2019s men then pulled off a first win over New Zealand in Dublin in November, with Jacob Stockdale\u2019s try sealing a 16-9 Aviva Stadium triumph.<\/p>\n
New Zealand have recalibrated their approach into a twin-playmaker system in part in the wake of those two Ireland losses, and Schmidt knows that could ultimately now leave the All Blacks an even tougher prospect this weekend.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re certainly not going to sneak up on them any more; we\u2019re not going to surprise them,\u201d said Schmidt.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think they are well aware of how we play and what they are going to do to combat that, and what they are going to put into their own armory to make sure that we are chasing them about.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I wouldn\u2019t be a great believer in that you learn more from your losses, you learn more from every experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are so many variables that go into a result in a Test match that I learn from every win, loss or draw that we have, just because you get that little bit more information about an individual player, or how this sequence works or how that defensive map went at that particular time.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I\u2019ve got huge respect for Steve Hansen, Ian Foster, the full coaching staff.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey can be creative around the lineout and the scrum, and there are a host of challenges for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
New Zealand are chasing an unprecedented third successive World Cup crown in Japan, and vastly-experienced boss Steve Hansen continues to favor starting Richie Mo\u2019unga at fly-half and Beauden Barrett at full-back.<\/p>\n
Barrett\u2019s switch from fly-half leaves New Zealand boasting two natural playmakers in their starting backline, adding extra creative layers to an already hugely-threatening All Blacks attack.<\/p>\n
Captain Kieran Read conceded the All Blacks adjusted their approach off the back of those two Ireland losses \u2013 and will now aim to crystallize any improvement by beating one of their most challenging opponents.<\/p>\n
Asked if Saturday\u2019s knockout clash is the chance to prove New Zealand have improved because of those two losses, Read replied: \u201cThat\u2019s our aim, isn\u2019t it? To play well this weekend. We\u2019ll find out after the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Irish are a good side as well, a really good side. They perhaps haven\u2019t played to their potential throughout this World Cup but in a World Cup final game it\u2019s whoever turns up on the day and it could be just a couple of opportunities that present themselves on the day, for either side.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn those couple of games, they\u2019ve taken theirs and we haven\u2019t so it will come down to that again.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we\u2019re in a good place to be at at this time in the tournament so I\u2019m looking forward to that.\u201d<\/p>\n