Helu hoping Japan can cash in on Irish complacency

Uwe Helu gave a wicked little grin as he lit the fuse. He knew exactly what he was doing.

Japan’s Tongan-born lock didn’t come across as the most loquacious of people but he said enough in the few words he did offer to perk up a mundane Monday afternoon press conference and tee up this Saturday’s meeting between Ireland and the host nation nicely.

“I think they will look down on us, that’s for sure,” said the 29-year old. “And we’ll do everything when we get our chance.”

Shots fired.

Maybe Helu hasn’t heard of Joe Schmidt’s reputation for meticulousness. The likelihood of Ireland taking Japan for granted this weekend is closer to none than slim but good luck to Helu and Japan as they look for any inch that may help them in Shizuoka.

Helu pulled no punches when asked about opportunities that might present themselves to Japan.

He watched Ireland’s evisceration of Scotland but the first thing that stuck out for him when asked to share his thoughts was the narrowness of the Irish defence.

Centre Timothy Lafaele zoned in on that also.

“That’s always been a key part of our game, getting the ball into the space with our wingers there. We’ve got really good wingers and we’ve been working hard at it for the last couple of years. If there’s a good opportunity to put our wingers into space, that’s what we’ll do.”

Lafaele noticed the high balls Ireland dropped too but he appreciated the patience the Six Nations side displayed in defence, not least that shown by Bundee Aki, who is a South Auckland boy just like him. The pair could well face each other in the midfield next up.

We’ve got some mutual friends, we’re both from South Auckland but we have never played against each other. It will be good to go up against him if I get the chance, he’s done really well for himself, leaving New Zealand and playing over in Ireland.

Helu and Lafaele are just two of the 16 players in this Japanese squad who were born abroad.

The roster includes players from South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Island and Kotaro Matsushima who was born in South Africa to a Zimbabwean dad and a Japanese mother.

All are immersed in their adopted country through their club ties, however and they will have picked up on the giddy heights of expectation that followed them ahead of that tournament opener against Russia last Friday.

To a man now they say that all that pressure has been released with that win in Tokyo.

It’s an easy and obvious line and yet it doesn’t sit all that comfortably with the fact the entire nation will be turning their attention to this next game at Stadium ECOPA.

“Everyone expects Ireland to win because they’re No.1 (in the world) at the moment,” said Helu.

You could make a case for Japan targeting the last pool game against Scotland rather than this one given how poor Gregor Townsend’s men were on Sunday but then Jamie Joseph’s side couldn’t be seen to shy away from this even if they wanted.

Japan will have had eight days to prepare, two more than Ireland, and Helu portrayed every game they play now as a final. He’s not wrong. Break through the glass ceiling that is the pool stages here and Japan will have won countless hearts and minds regardless of what happens after that.

To do it by taking Ireland down would be an enormous shot in the arm for the team and the game of rugby here but they understand the task ahead in cancelling out the threats of a side with such a dominant pack and a back line marshalled by the reigning world player of the year.

“Yeah, (Jonathan) Sexton is a world-class player,” said Lafaele, “and when he runs it works out well for them. It’s like any other team, I’m sure they target (playing off) the ten and try and get him on the ball as much as possible. We must get up early with our defence and try to stop him.”

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