![\"\"](\"http:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2.35568320.jpg\")
Johnny Sexton and Robbie Henshaw are in line to feature in Ireland\u2019s crucial World Cup warm-up clash against Wales in Cardiff on Saturday.<\/p>\nJohnny Sexton and Robbie Henshaw are in line to feature in Ireland\u2019s crucial World Cup warm-up clash against Wales in Cardiff on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Fly-half Sexton and center Henshaw are yet to feature in Ireland\u2019s warm-up schedule after a series of injury niggles.<\/p>\n
Head coach Joe Schmidt wants the experienced duo to add \u201cenergy\u201d after Saturday\u2019s record 57-15 thumping by England at Twickenham, with Keith Earls, James Ryan and Jack Conan all primed for action too.<\/p>\n
Asked whether Sexton and Henshaw would feature in Wales, Schmidt said: \u201cYes, we\u2019ll certainly look at that. Guys like James Ryan, Jack Conan, there\u2019s a few more guys who could come into the picture next week and probably bring a little bit of energy that we were lacking at Twickenham.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we\u2019ll look at that. I think also guys like Keith Earls, those sorts of guys, we still feel will come in and add some value yet.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a little bit of a plan, we have some guys who are operating on a pre-season that\u2019s just coming to a close and they will freshen up and get into the game next week or the week after, depending on how we feel they are going.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we certainly need to hit the ground running at the World Cup against Scotland, so we can\u2019t afford to be mixing and matching too much right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Captain Rory Best was left to admit Ireland had once again pitched their preparations incorrectly.<\/p>\n
Ireland conceded they had been bullied by England when losing out 32-20 at home in the opening match of this year\u2019s Six Nations.<\/p>\n
Schmidt\u2019s players had been desperate to put that humbling behind them in Saturday\u2019s Twickenham rematch, only to slip instead to an unprecedented loss.<\/p>\n
Ireland admitted they had been undercooked for that opening Six Nations loss and were forced to reveal a similar state of affairs this weekend too.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe thought we were in a good place, but it was a big lesson for us on Saturday,\u201d said Best.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s not a lot else you can do except hold our hands up today and say we weren\u2019t good enough there.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had a few iffy days before and come back the next week and performed really well. And we have belief in our process.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes you think you are in a good place, and then you come up against something that you\u2019re not expecting to be as good as it was.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we\u2019ve got to put more pressure on ourselves in training.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou put pressure on yourselves, but there\u2019s nothing quite like the pressure in games.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that can leave you thinking, \u2018Right we\u2019re in a really good spot\u2019, or it\u2019s, \u2018Oh s***, we\u2019re not quite where we want to be\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd today was a swear word, where we\u2019re not quite where we want to be.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe lineout\u2019s one of those problems, so we\u2019ve got to make sure we can nail that.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re really happy with our process but we just let that drift a little bit.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth hookers were a wee bit slow to get set, the line was a bit slow coming in and we can\u2019t have that again.\u201d<\/p>\n