Forewarned is forearmed and New Zealand prop forward Joe Moody is in little doubt where Ireland’s main attacking strength lies as the sides prepare for their Test encounter in the unfamiliar setting of Chicago.
Ireland fans descending on Soldier Field for tomorrow night’s encounter (kick-off 8pm) may well be hoping to draw on inspiration from the Chicago Cubs, who ended their 108-year win for a World Series this week, as the men in green bid for a first ever win against the juggernaut that is the All Blacks.
Head coach Joe Schmidt has opted for experience in his starting team as they look to more than fortune in order to engineer what would be a huge upset - though New Zealand are seeking a 19th successive Test win, their most recent meeting is some cause for optimism.
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Ryan Crotty’s injury-time try at the Aviva Stadium, and Aaron Cruden’s nerveless conversion, ensured a dramatic 24-22 win to break Irish hearts in 2013, and the All Blacks have been at pains all week to reinforce the notion that tomorrow’s game will be every bit as competitive.
The front-row battle will be an intriguing contest as Jack McGrath, Rory Best and Tadhg Furlong pit their wits against arguably the best in the business in Joe Moody, Dane Coles and Owen Franks.
Crusaders’ dynamic prop Moody is wary of the Irish challenge and has pinpointed what he believes to be Schmidt’s strongest attacking weapon.
“Ireland base a lot of their attack of their lineout. They love to just kick for position and go from a lineout to make their plays,” he said. “For us, we need to be really switched on there.
“We can’t go to sleep, give them easy ball and allow them to strike off it.
“As far as the breakdown goes, we need to make our tackles, hopefully in front of the gainline to not allow them get behind us. That will be a hard day at the office for us if we are going backwards.”
Twenty-eight year-old Moody has had to bide his time at international level.
He made his debut in 2014 against Australia but while he was included in the 2015 World Cup squad, he only featured against France in the quarter-final after an injury to Tony Woodcock.
From there, he hasn’t looked back. He played a key role in the semi-final and final victories, supplanting Wyatt Crockett as first-choice loose-head on their incredible run since then.
However, he is taking nothing for granted.
Moody's desire for physical combat should come as little surprise as he has represented New Zealand in age-grade rugby league and wrestling, but is keen to maintain his strong work-ethic in order to keep hold of the number one jersey.
“It gave me a big boost coming into this season,” he said when asked about the confidence he took from the World Cup campaign, “but at the same time it also reminded me that I had to keep working hard as I worked pretty hard at my physical state.”
“I love hitting the gym and lifting weights, so that sort of comes naturally, but getting to the point where I was with my fitness, that’s really tough.”
“Each week I have to work on that and do my extras, my top-ups.”
Moody has never faced Ireland before, but Schmidt and company are only too well aware that a special performance is required in order to condemn Moody to just his second defeat in 21 Test appearances.
