Rugby World Cup 2019: Ireland aim to bounce back from shock defeat to Japan when they face Russia

After suffering a shock defeat at the hands of the host nation Japan, Ireland will return to action on Thursday against Russia in an attempt to get back to winning ways in the Rugby World Cup.

Joe Schmidt’s men will be reeling from their defeat to Japan but will need to shake off their funk and put in a solid performance if they are to come away with a convincing bonus-point win. Russia will be fully aware that Ireland are short on confidence and will look to capitalise.

The match will take place at the Kobe Misaki Stadium with the roof closed. The closed roof has resulted in hot and humid conditions which in turn has caused errors in ball-handling and overall player fatigue.

A win for Ireland will go a long way in lifting the team spirit whilst also ensuring that qualification is still on the cards.

Russia, meanwhile, enter this contest as serious underdogs. On paper, they are the weakest team in Pool A and are not expected to make much of an impact. While they might cause Ireland a few problems defensively, the Irish are likely to have too much firepower and should be able to come away with a bonus-point win.

Key Talking Points: Ireland

• Indiscipline was an issue for the Irish in their match against Japan as they conceded a total of nine penalties, seven of them in the first half.
• Ireland's loss to Japan means they must now secure maximum points from their remaining games if they are to ensure qualification.
• After missing the match against Japan, Johnny Sexton will step in to captain his country for the first time. The fly-half has shown great leadership qualities in the past and will be keen on guiding his side to victory.

Key Talking Points: Russia

• The Bears have been handed an extremely difficult schedule with a turnaround of just four days between their first and second fixtures.
• Lyn Jones will rotate the starting lineup from the one that faced Samoa last week, with winger Denis Simplikevich coming into the side.
• Russia are yet to win a match in the Rugby World Cup but will be hoping to cause a major upset when they take on this Irish team.