MX23RW : Thursday, December 12 20:19:01| >> :120:50692:50692:

Joe Schmidt: 'Ireland can handle physical challenge'

Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt insists that his side will "dance around" to cope with the challenge of being one of the smaller teams at the World Cup.

Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt has claimed that his side will need to "dance around" to enjoy success against the bigger sides at the World Cup.

A 21-13 defeat to England at Twickenham on Saturday raised concerns that Ireland may be lacking a physical edge to their game, but Schmidt is confident that they will overcome the challenge when the tournament gets underway.

Schmidt told reporters: "I don't think there is too much panic from us. But there's always an anxiety, do we have the firepower to foot it when the big teams come to play?

"I think when you are playing England, and there are other teams that are equipped similarly, we wouldn't be the biggest team, we have to dance around a bit to stay in the fight some times."

Ireland start their campaign against Canada next Saturday.

ID:245068: cacheID:245068:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:1265:
Written by
Callum Mulvihill
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Fourie du Preez poses for a photo during the South African national rugby team photocall session on May 31, 2014
Read Next:
Rugby World Cup - Injury doubts
>
Read more about Joe Schmidt Rugby Union
rhs 2.0
Today's games header


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!