Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt will not abandon his game-plan despite two straight Test defeats according to Australian legend Michael Lynagh.
Warren Gatland lambasted Ireland's narrow approach in Wales' 16-10 victory in Dublin last month and there was more criticism following last weekend’s loss to England in Twickenham.
But World Cup-winner Lynagh believes that Schmidt is strong enough to ignore the dissenting voices from outside the camp.
Lynagh spearheaded Australia's 1991 World Cup final victory over England, who were tricked into abandoning their punishing 10-man game amid David Campese's taunts, as the Wallabies triumphed 12-6.
The former Aussie fly-half believes Ireland will not fall prey to a similar trap, despite consecutive warm-up losses to Wales and England.
"I can't see Joe Schmidt reacting to anything like that," Lynagh said.
"In that World Cup final a lot of the English players had talked about us giving them a bit of a hiding earlier in the year.
"They felt they had tried to out-muscle us then and couldn't do that, so then they tried to do something a bit different in the final.
"So they chanced their arm a little bit but we just managed to squeeze across the line.
"It wasn't a resounding failure from England back then in the end, they went very close.
"Joe Schmidt's smart enough to know what he wants to do, what the players need.
"He knows his players better than Warren Gatland does.
"Warren's very smart and knows how to sow the odd seed of doubt. But I can't see Schmidt changing things at a stage like this," said Lynagh.
Ireland will open their Pool D campaign by taking on Canada in Cardiff on Saturday week, with realistic hopes of a best-ever World Cup return.
Back-to-back RBS 6 Nations titles carried Ireland to an all-time world ranking high of second, though those two-straight warm-up defeats have edged Schmidt's men back down to sixth.
Captain Paul O'Connell and his charges are seeking their first-ever World Cup semi-final appearance.
Their clash with France is likely to decide who tops Pool D and avoids a likely quarter-final meeting with the mighty All Blacks.
Fly-half great Lynagh (pictured above in his playing days) hailed Number 10 lynchpin Johnny Sexton for steering Ireland's Six Nations success, but admitted Leinster's pivot must now return to his lofty standards after a recent dip in form.
"I think Sexton's done a great job for Ireland in the last two years," said television pundit Lynagh.
"He hasn't been at his usual standards in the last two games, but I'm sure he'll pull that back up for the tournament.
"But he's got to play well for Ireland for them to fire, for them to have the best chance. Sexton's crucial to everything they do."
