We 'took our eye off the ball' Schmidt admits as Ireland continue World Cup preparations

Joe Schmidt has challenged his Ireland players to put thoughts of Japan and the World Cup to the back of their minds and commit to righting the wrongs of Twickenham when they face Wales in Cardiff on Saturday.

The 2018 Grand Slam champions suffered a humiliating 57-15 defeat to England in London less than two weeks ago and Schmidt admits that Ireland “took our eye off the ball” for their second warm-up fixture against a home team that looked years ahead of them in terms of fitness and skillset.