The Irish players and management must be delighted that the long wait is finally over. The pre-match build-up is usually difficult enough, but teams seem to have been preparing for this World Cup for a number of years.
Ireland are expected to win this game and, effectively, will have to if they are to progress to the next round. Defeat is not an option, but it could be fatal for the Irish to underestimate the opposition.
Apart from a few exceptions, Ireland have generally under-performed against the "weaker" rugby nations. We are always at our best as underdogs.
We are strong favourites for this game, not particularly because of our own recent results, but more so because of the hammering which the United States received from England recently. A number of their players were, apparently, unavailable for that match and they are expected to be a lot stronger on this occasion. The United States, like other developing rugby nations, have improved over recent years. Their infrastructure has been greatly expanded and they have benefited from overseas coaching. The present side have the benefit of having former Australian full back Roger Gould and our own Eddie O'Sullivan as assistant coaches, which will certainly improve their back play.
I hope for the sake of the Irish team that the weather is dry because I would much prefer to see us playing an expansive game. If, however, the conditions which have prevailed all week continue we will have to adapt our tactics. In extremely wet weather we should not try to play a running game because that might play into the hands of the Americans. We might be better served by putting the ball behind them and making them turn. The US players have not always been the most disciplined in the past, and although they may have improved in this area, there are still likely to give away quite a lot of penalties.
Above all else the Irish side this evening must show control and self-discipline. We do not want to engage in an all-out physical confrontation with the Americans, because that would be right up their alley. The more time we spend playing controlled rugby the better. The objective should be to seize the initiative right from the start and play the game on our terms.
On previous occasions we have held the upper hand in the scrums against the Americans and this should be an area of advantage for us this evening. It should also be an area from which we may get try-scoring opportunities and penalties. Our line-out should not have any difficulty and again should present us with a platform from which to operate. Our players are accustomed to handling a wet ball, but I suspect that the Americans may have difficulty in this area, and it is likely to be most obvious in the line-outs. The Irish team have been successful in recent years in disrupting opposition line-outs against stronger teams, and could do so this evening as well.
The performance of our back row will be interesting as will be their clash with their US counterparts. The US captain, Dan Lyle, who has been switched to number eight because of the unavailability of Rob Lumkong, is very experienced back row operator and plays his club rugby with Bath.
The Irish back row has taken on a settled look of late and we need a good performance from them, not just in this game, but throughout the whole tournament.
Our back line will want to run the ball against the United States, but if conditions are bad I hope they have the patience to wait for opportunities to present themselves. I have no doubt that as the game progresses the American defence will loosen up and it is then that our players should seize the opportunity.
At out-half, David Humphreys has in recent years matured greatly as a player and in fact he has been the most influential player in Ulster's great success. He has called the game very well for them and I expect to see him controlling tonight's game. On the other hand it is of vital importance to us that our forwards and back row protect both Humphreys and his young partner at scrum-half, Tom Tierney, because they will come in for a lot of attention from the Americans.
Our back line looks very solid from a defensive point of view, and things have also been improving over the last few months in regard to attacking moves.
I hope the Irish team get off to a good start in this game, and indeed in the tournament. A positive, controlled performance with a win is what coach Warren Gatland and manager Donal Lenihan will demand from the players and hopefully this will be achieved. The Americans will obviously have hopes of creating a major surprise. The Irish players should try to remove those thoughts from the American minds as early as possible.
