Ireland using tour as World Cup dress rehearsal

In 15 months’ time, Ireland will kick-off their World Cup campaign against the United States at Yarrow Stadium in New Plymouth – the venue of Saturday’s Test against New Zealand.

The choice of locations during the New Zealand leg of the tour of Australasia, which also includes a match against the New Zealand Maori in Rotorua (where they will play Russia next year), are of course no coincidence.

Neither was the decision to stay in Auckland for the early part of the Test build-up this week which gave the Irish an opportunity to check out the facilities at Mount Smart Stadium, where they will train prior to taking on Australia in their second World Cup pool match.

Yet for all the scouting of facilities and World Cup preparation that has been done by the Irish in New Zealand, coach Declan Kidney says publicly the solitary showdown with the All Blacks on Saturday, the Maori game the following Friday and the single Test against Australia in Brisbane in two weeks time remain just that – one-offs that are not the launching pad for their Cup campaign next year.

“All these matches are just one-off Tests. You just have to take them for what they are,” he said.

“Any time you play the number one team in the world you just focus in the (present) and try and enjoy it because this is the reason you get into sport.”

Privately the Irish know a win will be a monumental boost to the confidence and self-belief heading into next year and there will be no keener spectators of the 2009 Grand Slam champions’ performance than Wales and England, who finished behind Brian O’Driscoll’s men in this year’s Six Nations.

Whatever happens at Yarrow Stadium is likely to be seen as a kind of benchmark, particularly by the Welsh who have arrived in New Zealand for their two Tests that round out the June internationals.

Kidney though refuses to buy into that.

“We can only be responsible for ourselves,” he said. “We know we have a responsibility to the jersey and we need to go out and play to the best of our ability.

“If you look further down the road, Ireland are due here in two years’ time to play three Test matches. We know the size of the task ahead of us but if we let all those sideshows distract us then Saturday night will go by.

“You don’t get chance to play in matches likes this too often. You just want to relish it and enjoy it and that’s what we hope to do.”

He’s also hoping for a history-making win to end the 105 years of hurt the Irish have suffered at the hands of New Zealand.

“It’s going to happen sometime,” the ever-optimistic coach declared. “I have huge confidence in Irish players. That’s why I took the job.

“No matter which Irish players roll up I know they will give it everything. I’m sure the boys playing for New Zealand will do the same but some time it’s going to happen.

“It would be nice to be around when it does ... (we can have) a good party.”

New Zealand skipper Richie McCaw would certainly not want to be the man in charge on the day Ireland do break their duck but he claims their 22-Test unbeaten run will not give his side a psychological edge.

“History means nothing when you get out on the field. Like I said earlier in the week, no game I’ve had against Ireland has been easy at all. It’s always been pretty physical and an 80-minute game. What’s happened before means nothing.”

The All Blacks have been on something of a charm offensive with regards to referee Wayne Barnes during the week.

The Englishman’s performance in New Zealand’s ill-fated 2007 World Cup quarter-final loss to France still rankles with many Kiwis and Saturday’s game will be the first time he has refereed a match involving the All Blacks on their home patch since Cardiff.

McCaw and the New Zealand coaches have urged people to move on and let bygones be bygones.

When asked if he was confident the referee would be able to handle the pressure this weekend, Kidney quipped: “I think it’s his first game with us since we were in Paris”, referring to their heavy defeat to France in this year’s Six Nations.

“He’s a good referee and it’s important that we respect that and we let him get on with his job.”

O’Driscoll’s preparations for the match have been hampered by a bout of vertigo which prevented his involvement in the captain’s run.

The 31-year-old skipper was however confident he would be fit for the game, saying the symptoms were less severe that when he last suffered it following the 2009 Grand Slam win.

“I’ll be grand in another 24 hours,” he declared.

Midfield partner Gordon D’Arcy also sat out the final run-through but likewise is expected to take his place in the starting line-up.