By the time Saturday morning rolls around a number of key New Zealand players will be having their first outing in 17 days.
Full-back Beauden Barrett, out-half Richie Mo'unga, lock Scott Barrett, and number 8 eight and captain Kieran Read have not played since their 63-0 run-out against Canada on 2 October.
"I think it's always an advantage to get a longer lead-in," said Ireland boss Joe Schmidt ahead of the Samoa game but even the head coach must believe that two and a half weeks, due to the cancellation of the Italy game, which was scheduled for 12 October, is a stretch.
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The New Zealand coaching team of Steve Hansen and Ian Foster may have talked up the intensity levels at training this week but they would have planned for those four, plus Jack Goodhue and Brodie Retallick, to see some action before a quarter-final.
Retallick, who dislocated his shoulder during the 16-16 Rugby Championship draw with South Africa on 27 July, started against Namibia but played just 30 minutes.
Hansen said: "[The cancellation] allowed us to work really hard Friday.
"The GPS numbers were equivalent or just above what a normal Test match would be so we don't feel like we've lost any opportunity to get ourselves where we need to be."
There is also the fact that their only game against a Tier 1 team, the 23-13 win over South Africa, will be almost a month old come Saturday's quarter-final match against Ireland in Tokyo.
Are games against Canada and Namibia, where they ran in nine and 11 tries respectively, enough to prime for a World Cup quarter-final?
Ireland will hope not.
"Apart from Brodie [Retallick] and Jack Goodhue who probably need a bit of footy, it's not a disruptive thing at all," Hansen said when World Rugby pulled the plug on the Azzurri game.
"You can look at it as a negative or a positive. We're choosing to look at it as a positive.
"It gives us more time to play against whomever it is we get in a quarter-final and we just have to modify our training."
It's the All Blacks in the quarters. But is that such a bad thing for Ireland? The panel discuss... #RWC2019 #RTErugby pic.twitter.com/VjsSRb9Soe
— RTÉ Rugby (@RTErugby) October 13, 2019
Speaking on RTÉ Sport’s Rugby World Cup highlights show, former Ireland coach Eddie O’Sullivan reckoned that it could go in Ireland's favour.
"New Zealand could have done with that game at the weekend," he said.
"Their best lock, Brodie Retallick, needed to play against Italy. He has 30 minutes of rugby under his belt. I don’t know if he will be able to start with that sort of match practice.
"They would have liked that hit-out. Italy would have been physical if nothing else and it would have been a tough game from that perspective.
"So they might be a little bit under-cooked in that they would have planned for the game against Italy, so that’s to our advantage."
On the other hand most of Schmidt’s charges will have had a nice settled seven-day turnaround from the clash with Samoa.
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That line-up, minus the suspended Bundee Aki, could easily be named again.
Rob Kearney, withdrawn after 49 minutes due to groin issue against Russia, and Peter O’Mahony, who played 21 minutes of the Samoa game, are in the running to return.
Garry Ringrose last played against Russia (16 days rest) but that was his third 80-minute run-out in the competition.
The Leinster man may return with Robbie Henshaw moving to first centre in Aki's absence.
"[New Zealand’s lay-off is] no big advantage," said Bernard Jackman, the former Ireland hooker.
"I think seven days is a good turnaround for Ireland. We needed that game against Samoa to get more game time into Sexton and Henshaw. He’s going to be absolutely crucial now."
At elite level the margins get smaller and smaller but the cancellation could work to Ireland’s advantage.
POSSIBLE NEW ZEALAND TEAM TO PLAY IRELAND (one change* from SA game or two if Brodie Retallick starts)
15 Beauden Barrett (Age: 28, Caps: 80, Minutes played this WC: 160, Rest between games: 17 days)
14 Sevu Reece (22, 5, 144m, 13 days)
13 Jack Goodhue (24, 11, 100m, 13 days) *
12 Anton Lienart-Brown (24, 40, 160m, 13 days)
11 George Bridge (24, 7, 160m, 13 days)
10 Richie Mo'unga (25, 14, 144m, 17 days)
9 Aaron Smith (30, 89, 111m, 13 days)
1 Joe Moody (31, 43, 101m, 13 days)
2 Dane Coles (32, 66, 70m, 13 days)
3 Nepo Laulala (27, 23, 108m, 13 days)
4 Sam Whitelock (31, 115, 170m, 13 days)
5 Scott Barrett ( 25, 33, 155m, 17 days) OR 5 Brodie Retallick (28, 78, 30m, 13 days)
6 Ardie Savea (26, 42, 150m,13 days)
7 Sam Cane (27, 65, 105m, 13 days)
8 Kieran Read (33, 117, 160m, 17 days)
Follow Ireland v New Zealand on Saturday 19 October (kick-off 11.15am) via the live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the News Now App, watch live on RTÉ2 or listen to live match commentary on RTÉ Radio 1.
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Follow all four Rugby World Cup quarter-finals this weekend via our live blogs on RTE.ie/Sport and the News Now app, or watch live on RTÉ2.
