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Henderson: You either front up and adapt to what the conditions are or look back

Ireland second row Iain Henderson says the men in green cannot be making excuses about the heat as t...


Sport

Henderson: You either front up and adapt to what the conditions are or look back




Ireland second row Iain Henderson says the men in green cannot be making excuses about the heat as they prepare for Saturday's World Cup tie with Samoa.

The match is set to go ahead in Fukuoka with Typhoon Hagibis no longer believed to be an existential threat.

Ireland coped well with wet conditions in Yokohama against Scotland, before wilting in the Shizuoka heat during the shock defeat to tier two nation and hosts Japan.

Ulster skipper Henderson said: 

"The Japan game, the air did feel heavy almost and at times difficult to get a breath. That's probably a combination of heat, humidity, tiredness, being a very fast paced game. A number of those factors have played a part, but it's the same conditions for the opposition. You either front up and adapt to what the conditions are or look back and there was an excuse."

The lock also feels that playing a team that employs a similar style benefits Ireland: 

"Us playing Scotland, maybe it might have been both teams trying to do a similar thing, whereas when we came up against a team that is trying to play it a bit wider; and maybe if you are not as prepared for it, there's not the best outcome. The teams that are throwing it around a bit seem to be getting a bit more of the interesting play."

The defeat to Japan has placed Ireland into a knockout situation and Henderson says there have been adjustments in the camp: 

"For us I kind of feel like it has almost started a week earlier than we would potentially would have liked it to, which has obviously upped the intensity across training, meetings, reviews; you see everyone putting in a bit of extra time, just here and there, whether it be a bit of video analysis or a bit of extras in the gym. Just making sure everyone's right and everyone's getting as nailed on as possible for the weekend."

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