Ireland

Player/Club/Province/Caps –

15 Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster) 92 caps
14 Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster) 78 caps
13 Garry Ringrose (UCD/Leinster) 25 caps
12 Chris Farrell (Young Munster/Munster) 8 caps
11 Jacob Stockdale (Lurgan/Ulster) 22 caps
10 Jack Carty (Buccaneers/Connacht) 8 caps
9 Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster) 75 caps
1 Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster) 92 caps
2 Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster) 121 caps CAPTAIN
3 Tadhg Furlong (Clontarf/Leinster) 37 caps
4 Iain Henderson (Queens University/Ulster) 49 caps
5 James Ryan (UCD/Leinster) 20 caps
6 Peter O’Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster) 60 caps
7 Josh van der Flier (UCD/Leinster) 20 caps
8 CJ Stander (Shannon/Munster) 34 caps

Replacements
16 Sean Cronin (St Mary’s College/Leinster) 70 caps
17 Dave Kilcoyne (UL Bohemians/Munster) 32 caps
18 Andrew Porter (UCD/Leinster) 19 caps
19 Tadhg Beirne (Lansdowne/Munster) 9 caps
20 Rhys Ruddock (St. Mary’s College/Leinster) 23
21 Luke McGrath (UCD/Leinster) 15 caps
22 Joey Carbery (Clontarf/Munster) 19 caps
23 Jordan Larmour (St Mary’s College/Leinster) 17 caps

If Japan won this it would it be bigger than the win against the Boks in 2015?

No changes in the forwards is a surprise.

Best played pretty much played the whole game vs Scotland so I am surprised he is starting this match too.

@ACT-Crusader SA hadnt only just the week before lost the #1 ranking in the whole of the entire wide world had they? So yeah, waaaaaaay bigger!

Cant see it though.

Nah boks were their first proper tier 1 scalp, now a more common occurrence

Plus the Boks have actually won a RWC quarterfinal......

I just heard pints of Guinness being smashed all over the place.

@Snowy said in RWC: Japan v Ireland (Pool A):

I just heard pints of Guinness being smashed all over the place.

It wasn't glasses, it was bottles

Last time they had the weight of expectations on their shoulders Ireland went out to underdogs Wales in the 2011 QF. How will they go this time with the expectations that come with the number one world ranking weighing on them?

Does Japan even attempt to win this game? They would probably be better targeting Samoa and Scotland.

@LABCAT Valid question, and yes they would.

I hate the thought of not trying to win every match though. Personnel management not withstanding.

Ireland by 30.

silly kick

Great start by Japan. Good ball retention and hard running.

Man I hope Japan can keep up this pace for 80

another shit kick by Oireland

looks a different Japanese side to the one that played Russia

Great try Ireland.

Japan a tad unlucky on that ruck penalty advantage. I thought Irish players had gone off their feet whilst Japan had two guys on theirs.

Japan coming out firing but Ireland have matched them too so far.