Josh van der Flier would rather play at midnight than endure the scorching temperatures which caused him to ditch his distinctive red scrum cap in Ireland’s Rugby World Cup opener.
The world player of the year bolstered his side from the bench as they launched their campaign with a thumping 82-8 win over Romania on a baking-hot afternoon in Bordeaux.
Ireland’s other three Pool B fixtures – against Tonga, South Africa and Scotland – will each kick-off at 9pm local time, something Van der Flier was initially uneasy about.
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But, after enduring heat of 36 degrees Celsius, the flanker has had a change of heart, having felt ready to come back off just 15 minutes into a challenging Saturday afternoon cameo.
“I was thinking before the tournament that 9pm is so late, it’s a really long day,” he said.
“But then when I saw the weather in the captain’s run (on Friday), I said I’d happily play at midnight if it’s a bit cooler.
“In the first half, most of the pitch was in the sun, second half you were in the sun and it almost felt like a break when you got into the other half of the field where it was a bit shaded.
“It will definitely make a big difference (kicking off later).
“A lot of credit has to go to the lads who played 80 minutes out there. After 15 of my 20 minutes, I was nearly ready to get subbed off again. It was tough.”
Van der Flier looked slightly unfamiliar as he emerged without his customary scrum cap to replace Leinster team-mate Caelan Doris.
The 30-year-old also felt compelled to remove the distinguishing head gear, which was initially chosen to match his school’s kit, during Ireland’s pre-tournament training camp in the Algarve.
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“I tried wearing it in training in Portugal and I really, really struggled,” he said.
“It’s just an extra bit of heat and it makes a big difference when you take it off.
“I did notice that it just feels different not having a scrum cap on but definitely glad not to have it in this heat.
“Last World Cup, I didn’t wear it for the first game, then I got a cut on my head so I had to start wearing it.
“I had done it before but I would probably be more comfortable wearing it.”
Ireland take on Tonga in Nantes before Paris showdowns with reigning world champions South Africa and Scotland.
Wing James Lowe is braced for tougher tests against some “scary teams” and is not yet contemplating a potential quarter-final clash with his native New Zealand.
He said: “It’s not going to get any easier now, the further we get, is it?
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“Tonga are physical, we struggled against Samoa (a 17-13 win) a couple of weeks ago and Tonga are a very similar outfit: physical, combative.
“They’re going to run hard and tackle hard, so we’re going to have to be smart there, and the week after it’s South Africa, so it’s not going to get any easier the longer we last.”
Asked about possibly facing the All Blacks in the last eight, the 31-year-old replied: “There’s a fair few scary teams before we even think about a quarter-final.
“People are labelling our pool as the ‘pool of death’, fair play.”
Healy in line to equal Ireland cap record versus Argentina
Cian Healy is set to equal Brian O'Driscoll's Ireland cap record when they face New Zealand in Friday's autumn international in Dublin.
The 37-year-old prop has represented his country on 132 occasions and, after being named on the bench, will equal O'Driscoll's mark if introduced versus the Pumas.
Ireland suffered their first home defeat since 2021 last time out, going down by a 23-13 scoreline against New Zealand.
Despite that loss, head coach Andy Farrell has only made one change to Ireland's starting lineup, bringing Robbie Henshaw in at inside centre in place of Bundee Aki.
Argentina also named their team on Wednesday, with vice-captain Pablo Matera, Guido Petti and Matias Moroni replacing Santiago Grondona, Franco Molina and Matias Orlando.
Ireland team: Hugo Keenan; Mack Hansen, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, James Lowe; Jack Crowley, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Ronan Kelleher, Finlay Bealham; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan; Tadhg Beirne, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris.
Replacements: Rob Herring, Cian Healy, Thomas Clarkson, Ryan Baird, Peter O'Mahony, Craig Casey, Sam Prendergast, Jamie Osborne.
Argentina team: Juan Cruz Mallia; Rodrigo Isgro, Lucio Cinti, Matias Moroni, Bautista Delguy; Tomas Albornoz, Gonzalo Bertranou; Thomas Gallo, Julian Montoya, Joel Sclavi; Guido Petti, Pedro Rubiolo; Pablo Matera, Juan Martin Gonzalez, Joaquin Oviedo.
Replacements: Ignacio Ruiz, Ignacio Calles, Francisco Gomez Kodela, Franco Molina, Santiago Grondona, Gonzalo Garcia, Santiago Carreras, Justo Piccardo.
Pressure to win for England is a 'privilege', says Wigglesworth
Senior England coach Richard Wigglesworth believes that the pressure to win matches is part of the privilege of playing for the national team.
England face world champions South Africa at the Allianz Stadium on Saturday with displeasure growing after four straight defeats.
Included in that run were narrow losses in their first two Autumn Nations Series games against New Zealand and Australia.
Though England have won three of their last four games against South Africa at Allianz Stadium, Wigglesworth insisted everyone within the squad wants to improve.
"This job of being part of the England team is such a privilege, because so many people care, which makes your feeling on the matter really big," Wigglesworth told BBC Sport.
"Our job is to step back from that and see what was right, what was wrong, and what can we fix.
"We need to see the game for what it is, make the decisions for what they are, and get better every week.
"It is our job to make sure the players understand as much as they can that they can’t get affected by that as well.
"We know the attention the team gets is result-dependent, and rightly so."
The last time England and South Africa faced one another was in the Rugby World Cup semi-final in 2023, in which the Springboks came back from 15-6 down to win 16-15.
England will have to be wise to how the visitors have evolved since that game according to Wigglesworth.
"They have a squad and a plan they have done for a while, and when you are successful you tend to stick to things," he said.
"I have really enjoyed watching what they do, and how they do it. It is our job to meet that and rise to it."
Springboks aiming to have 'two best teams in the world', says Esterhuizen
South Africa centre Andre Esterhuizen said that the Springboks are aiming to have "the two best teams in the world" ahead of their Autumn Nations Series clash against England.
The world champions were pushed all the way by Scotland in their narrow victory at Murrayfield on Sunday, though head coach Rassie Erasmus opted to rotate some key starting positions.
South Africa captain Siya Kolisi and flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit started on the bench, with the changes a common theme during Erasmus' seven-year tenure.
Their opening Autumn Nations Series victory also put them back on top of the world rankings after Ireland's first defeat in 19 home games by New Zealand on Friday.
"One of the good things is that everyone is getting game time now," Esterhuizen told the BBC's Rugby Union Weekly podcast.
"It is also about looking forward, you've got to be able to spare all the guys for the next World Cup and build experience into it.
"The aim is to have the two best teams in the world, all in one squad.
"We want to make it second nature for people slotting in, so if someone steps in, they can just slot in and play the same if not better than the other player."
South Africa next face England, who are yet to pick up a win this autumn, at Twickenham on Saturday.
Steve Borthwick's side suffered a narrow two-point defeat by New Zealand, before conceding an injury-time winning try to Australia on Saturday.
England have now lost each of their last four Test matches, their longest such run since losing five straight games in 2018, but Esterhuizen's former Harlequins team-mate Marcus Smith has been impressive for the Red Roses.
"It's a great space, I obviously love to play there," Esterhuizen added. "It will be great to be running at Marcus, not run off him.
"It's going to be a great match, England have played well in the last few games, it's unfortunate that it hasn't been the results that they want. I think it's going to be a big one."
The Springboks have won three of their last four matches against England (L1), including each of their last two. Three of the last five games between England and South Africa have been decided by single-point margins.
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