Schmidt expects a spiky, physical battle

Joe Schmidt would have been foolish not to factor the expected high-intensity physicality between his Ireland side and the All Blacks tomorrow into his preparations for this sell-out blockbuster.

So much so, given the feisty meeting between the two sides in Dublin in 2016, you almost expected the name C McGregor (Unattached/UFC) to appear on the teamsheet the head coach unveiled yesterday.