#RWC2019 Newsletter: Can Ireland write their own historic dramatic twist?

In two weeks’ time, Pat McCarry’s one-act play, Soldier Field, will be staged at the Mill Theatre in Dundrum.

It tells the story of Ireland’s “historic, first ever, victory over the All Blacks in Chicago”.

In these final weeks of rehearsals, are they contemplating the need for a second act?

Were the wins in Chicago - and the Aviva Stadium - dress rehearsals for the real deal in Tokyo on Saturday?

It does feel like a sliding doors moment in Irish rugby history. The day when Ireland makes good on all the progress and promise and work-ons and learnings and processes of the Joe Schmidt era? Or the nation goes back to celebrating famous victories in one-off ‘Tests’ (definitely not friendlies).

Though Keith Earls, speaking in a frank interview in tomorrow’s newspaper, has a slightly more phlegmatic view: “You either go into the history books or I go home to my wife and kids, and everyone's healthy.”

Check it out in the World Cup hub in the morning.

As the build-up builds up, Cian Healy has been singing the praises of Ireland’s Kiwi scrum coach Greg Feek, who seems to have convinced all of Ireland’s forwards to become students of the impenetrable business of scrummaging.

“Usually it’s just the front rows that want to know more about scrummaging,” says Healy. “But getting the back-five lads involved in wanting to know how we can get better is important.

When they know inside-out what we are looking to do, or looking not to do, even then you can feel the changes in their body shape, or pressure-wise, or even just energy before the scrum.

Feek will have another student to drill by tomorrow morning, with Ulster hooker Rob Herring set to link up with the squad to replace Leinster's Sean Cronin - who picked up an injury in training this week.

Joe Schmidt will name his Ireland team in the early hours of the morning, with no other injury concerns. Simon Lewis will have it for you by 8am Thursday.

As for the All-Blacks, the chief selection quandary seems to be what to do about Brodie.

Talismanic lock Retallick returned from a dislocated shoulder to play half an hour against Namibia. But the cancellation of the All Blacks pool match with Italy denied Steve Hansen the opportunity to give him another run out since.

Here, the New Zealand Herald teases out the other selection dilemmas.

Meanwhile, Donal Lenihan’s reading of Kiwi media has led him to conclude they are expecting to dispense a 20-point trouncing. A mindset, Donal reckons, that will suit Ireland just fine.

In today’s vlog from Japan, Donal selects his team of the tournament so far. Only one Ireland player gets the nod. Find out who here.

And here’s a neat breakdown of the pool stage numbers.

South Africa lead the points tally, with 185, scoring 27 tries in their four matches.

They now face the hosts, of course, in Sunday’s second quarter-final.

The Japanese success story continues to captivate a nation relatively new to the game. And no better man to break emotion down into some ‘key metrics’ than World Rugby chief Brett Gosper, who pointed out more than “1.8 million tickets sold, 200,000 replica shirts sold,1.8 million app downloads, 650 million video views and viewing figures for Japan versus Scotland 'likely to go through 50 million, which crashes through the previous best'”.

Surely, they’ll get one or two plays out of it as well.

Until tomorrow.