Ireland scrum coach Greg Feek says the players are eager for a game after a tough period of work on their conditioning.
Conor O'Shea's Italy side arrive in Dublin this week for the first World Cup warm-up game and the first game of the new season.
In the wake of a disappointing Six Nations campaign, Feek, while remaining understandably vague, said Ireland have been working on things they hadn't tried before and they would take this into the warm-up games.
Johnny Sexton had been unable to take part in training last month due to a thumb injury, a development widely described as an 'injury scare' but Feek confirmed that the outhalf is fully recovered.
"I asked Johnny (Sexton) how he was going and he gave me the thumbs up which was ironic," he told RTÉ Sport.
"I think the boys are trucking along, there's good banter, there's a good feel among the group.
"There's a point where they're starting to get better, starting to feel better, let's bring on the games.
"We've a plan. We've done things pretty well over the years. But we're trying to improve in a few areas. We're trying to work on a few things that we haven't done before. But also trying to get them at the level where they feel comfortable, feel energised and they can go and play the game.
"Some of these guys have got to remember to go out there and play the parts of the game they're good at, and also get the parts of the game right for the team."
Looking past the Italy game and onto the World Cup proper, Feek said adapting to the unpredictable and frequently hot conditions that await in Japan is a key plank in their preparations.
"It's expect the unexpected. You have to be ready for all types of things, a bit like Dublin. You might get rain, you might get sun. But there, you get the heat. It's real Asian type weather.
"It's humid, you could get thunderstorms for ten minutes, or torrential rain and then it becomes really warm and hot again.
"In all parts of Japan, there'll be different aspects to deal with.
"We've a training camp coming up in Portugal and that'll give us an insight into the heat."
Feek offered condolences to Schmidt and his family on behalf of the team and said Schmidt's already appointed successor Andy Farrell was directing matters in the Kiwi's absence.
"On behalf of all the team, I wish his family the best and condolences to him. He'll be back when the time is right.
"Obviously, we're a tight knit group and the boys will just box on. There's a lot to play for this weekend. There's been a lot of work with conditioning which has been tough. So I think some of the boys are just keen to get out there and play.
"Andy's done great. It's been a good week. Joe has done things in a way that everyone's included in how we do things. Richie and I have worked with Joe for long enough. To be able to contribute and support what's needed is good. And obviously, the show goes on."
Follow Ireland v Italy (2pm) via our live blog on RTÉ.ie/sport and the News Now app. Watch live coverage on RTÉ2 from 1.30pm and listen to commentary on RTÉ Radio 1's Saturday Sport.
