'A bit of a reset': Captain Doris eyes new trajectory for Ireland

Ireland captain Caelan Doris said his side are "having a proper reflection and seeing where we can go". Pic: ©INPHO/Ben Brady

Not for the first time this week, Japan’s previous visit to Dublin was in the thoughts of an Irishman as he looked ahead to Saturday’s Quilter Nations Series home opener against the Brave Blossoms.

The 60-5 Aviva Stadium win in November 2021 doubled down on the revenge exacted in Dublin earlier that year for the 2019 World Cup pool defeat in Shizuoka that sent Joe Schmidt’s Ireland team on a path to yet another quarter-final exit. 

And it has served as the reference point for the Irish camp this week as thoughts turn towards the next World Cup in Australia 2027. 

Ireland captain Caelan Doris on Friday spoke about the reset that was taking place for his team at this midway point in the World Cup cycle, one that offers a neat summary with the Japanese in town four years on from a similar launch.

“I think if you look back to 2021, this game was Johnny Sexton's 100th cap and I think this game probably put us on a bit of an upward trajectory,” Doris reflected. “I mean, there's been some positives over the last year or two. We've had some big wins and some big performances, but probably been inconsistent, probably not quite where we want to be operating and there's recognition of that.

“There's recognition of bit of a reset at the minute and there's no lack of belief or doubt in our potential and in what we can do. It's just about getting out of our own way and delivering on it. So, that's been a focus of this week, of bringing the best of ourselves and hopefully there will be an upward trajectory from here as well.” 

Asked to explain what that reset looked like for Ireland, Doris said: "A recognition of where we're at. Resetting goals-wise, resetting in terms of the evolution of our game and continuing to try and develop that.

“An individual reset of where we think we are as individuals, areas of improvement individually, specifically rugby but all the things from all the high-performance habits that go with it as well. So, having a proper reflection and seeing where we can go.” 

He also explained why that reset was taking place now.

“The recognition of always needing to evolve has been there throughout each campaign but now two years out from a World Cup, it’s like: ‘right this is it now.’ It’s a two-year window in and we had a good two-year window last time and try and reset, and, I guess, improve.” 

The first step towards 2027 starts against Japan on Saturday as Ireland bid to rebound from last week’s Chicago defeat to New Zealand, a game which saw Doris make his comeback from almost six months on the sidelines with a shoulder injury. With Eddie Jones’s Japan reeling from a 61-7 hammering by South Africa at Wembley Stadium seven days earlier, the rebound victory may appear to be a formality, even for a much-changed Ireland side including 32-year-old debutant centre Tom Farrell but Doris wants to see progress from last week’s sobering 26-13 loss at Soldier Field.

Asked what he wanted from his team this time around, the captain replied: “Enthusiasm. A want to make it happen. I think we apply a lot of detail within our squad and there's a lot of stuff to learn but I think just an ability to want to make it happen and desire to go and do something.

“I want to see that defensively but also work great in our attack.

“There’s potential there and a lot of belief still but it hasn’t come as consistently as we would have liked. Like, you have seen our performances, there’s been good things and there’s been bad things, there’s been some big wins, some scraping by. You look at Italy at the end of the Six Nations, you look at France, there’s been 20-minute windows within some of those games, last weekend as well, where we haven’t quite been there.

“So, getting the best out of ourselves.” 

IRELAND: J Osborne (Leinster); T O’Brien (Leinster), T Farrell (Munster), R Henshaw (Leinster), J Stockdale (Ulster); J Crowley (Munster), C Casey (Munster); A Porter (Leinster), R Kelleher (Leinster), T Clarkson (Leinster); J Ryan (Leinster), T Beirne (Munster); R Baird (Leinster), N Timoney (Ulster), C Doris (Leinster) – captain.

Replacements: G McCarthy (Leinster), P McCarthy (Leinster), F Bealham (Connacht), C Prendergast (Connacht), J Conan (Leinster), C Blade (Connacht), S Prendergast (Leinster), J O’Brien (Leinster).

JAPAN: Y Yazaki (Waseda University); K Ishida (Yokohama Canon Eagles), D Riley (Saitama Wild Knights), C Lawrence (Dynoboars), T Osada (Saitama Wild Knights); S Lee (Kobe Steelers), N Saito (Toulouse); K Kobayashi (Tokyo Sungoliath), K Sato (Saitama Wild Knights), S Takeuchi (Uruyasa D Rocks); E Uluiviti (Dynoboars), W Dearns (Toshiba Brave Lupus) – captain; B Gunter (Saitama Wild Knights), K Shimokawa (Tokyo Sungoliath), F Makisi (Kubota Spears).

Replacements: S Hirao (Tokyo Sungoliath), R Iwaihiara (Yokohama Canon Eagles), K Tamefusa (Kubota Spears), J Cornelsen (Yokohama Canon Eagles), M Leitch (Toshiba Brave Lupus), S Fujiwara (Kubota Spears), S Komura (Toyota Verblitz), Y Hirose (Kubota Spears).

Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy)