Porter hoping Japan can provide liftoff for Ireland's fortunes again

There has been an honesty to all the players and coaches who have spoken since Chicago. Not good enough, no excuses. 

Andrew Porter during an Ireland Rugby captain's run at the Aviva Stadium. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

Some games are wedged into the consciousness. Immovable bastions of memory regardless of what follows. Shizuoka in 2019 is one. 

A cold, dark slab of history that won’t be shifted from the psyche regardless of how many times Ireland and Japan meet again.