Wood: No complacency in squad

Ireland skipper Keith Wood has vowed there will be no complacency in the camp when his team open their World Cup campaign against Romania on Saturday.

The Eastern Europeans haven’t come close to beating Ireland in six previous meetings and it would be a major surprise if they managed to overturn the odds in Gosford this weekend.

In a group that also contains hosts Australia and tournament dark horses Argentina, the Irish squad know they must get off to a flying start and not only win the match but also pick up the extra bonus point for scoring four tries.

And, according to Wood, that will be enough to ensure there is no lethargy in Irish legs even though stiffer tests are sure to follow.

“There will be no complacency,” he said. “Everyone has to take responsibility for their own role in the team and we are all fully focussed on that.

“We have a lot more leaders in this team now, people we can trust to take the right decisions at the right time instead of looking for someone else to do it.”

However, the 31-year-old Lions star is not convinced life will be as easy for the Irish as many people think.

As a front-row veteran, Wood knows how tough life can be at the forefront of the physical duel, especially against sides as rugged as Romania.

“The majority of international sides play at an incredibly high level of physical intensity these days,” he said.

“One team might be better than another but you never have an easy game, especially in the forwards, all your opponents are capable of beating you up.

“That is why I never like to predict what is going to happen. All we want to do is win the game and get the bonus point. That is it.”

Wood has admitted he would never have made Ireland’s World Cup party if he had not been on this summer’s southern hemisphere tour.

Though the quietly-spoken hooker was restricted to little more than a watching brief as the Irish took on Australia, Tonga and Samoa last June, he was able to maintain contact with the squad and ensure he was fully conversant with all their game plans.

It meant that when he finally managed to overcome the shoulder and neck problems which virtually ruled him out of the game for an entire year, he was quickly able to get back into the old routine.

Wood’s return during the autumn warm-up games came faster than most people had predicted and coach Eddie O’Sullivan had no hesitation in immediately reinstalling him as captain.

“Without doubt, the most important part of the last 12 months for me was going on the summer tour,” said Wood, who will become only the third Irishman to play in three World Cups when he leads his team into battle this weekend.

“If I hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t be in Australia now.

“Even though I didn’t play, I was able to come to the group sessions and grasp the tactical changes that were taking place and now I can’t wait to get started.

“There is a certain nervousness there because of the time I spent out injured but this moment has been a long time coming and I just want to get stuck in.”