Ireland v Romania preview: Johnny Sexton to power dominant win in Bordeaux

Dylan Coetzee
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Ireland skipper Johnny Sexton during the Six Nations

Johnny Sexton and Ireland celebrated a Grand Slam triumph.

The time has finally arrived as the 2023 Rugby World Cup is set for its opening weekend where four years of hard work, preparation and planning all culminate in the global showpiece.

There are a plethora of games in the opening weekend including a typical World Cup clash between the top-ranked side in the world, Ireland, and the 19th-ranked team, Romania.

The two sides have only met on three occasions all of which were in World Cup tournaments and they enter this clash with completely different scenarios.

Ireland have been outstanding over the last couple of years and are desperate to get the monkey off their back and win the tournament. That shows in their strong team selection which sees the return of talisman Johnny Sexton from his ban, as the veteran looks to get some much-needed minutes.

For Romania it is a different prospect as they return to the biggest tournament in the world after missing out in 2015 due to a complication with ineligible players. The build-up has seen a change of coach this year as Eugen Apjok claimed the hot seat. Interestingly, the team has drafted in the expertise of Vern Cotter to advise during the competition.

It is set to be an interesting battle but one that is overwhelmingly tipped in Ireland’s favour.

Where the game will be won

The harsh reality of the match-up is that Ireland has significantly more quality than Romania. The Oaks have quality players of their own but Andy Farrell’s side is at the peak of their powers.

Ireland are physical and rely heavily on their systems so for them it is all about winning the battle up front to give Jamison Gibson-Park and Sexton the freedom to orchestrate their multi-phase attack.

Romania need to try to disrupt the breakdown and slow Ireland’s ball because once the world’s top side gets quick ball on the front foot it is difficult for any team to stop them.

Farrell will be looking for his team to go out and produce a performance that will set the tone for Ireland’s campaign. Expect them to do exactly that.

Last time they met

What they said

Farrell spoke about his team’s build-up to the tournament and how mindset is so crucial.

“The key learnings are the scenarios that we’ve tried to put ourselves through in the last few years,” he said.

“You hear me say constantly ‘best laid plans and all that’, it’s 100 per cent that at a World Cup.

“The ones that get flustered with all that because they’re not ready for all different types of permutations are the ones that lose the plot.

“The key to progressing in a competition like this is staying calm, keeping your feet under you and making sure that you just roll with the punches and be the best version of yourself no matter what happens and have no-excuse mentality.

“We’ve tried to put ourselves in those type of positions before and we know what’s coming through.”

Players to watch

All eyes will be on Johnny Sexton who will be desperate to mark his return with a solid outing. The veteran is sheer class and even without much game time recently he is tailor-made for a Test like this. Sexton could end up being one of the most influential players in the entire tournament and that starts now.

Full-back Hugo Keenan has been in outstanding form with his performances showing the perfect blend of running ability, all-around skill set and rugby IQ. Simply put, the star is a classy operator and very rarely has a bad game. Expect him to hit the ground running and sparkle in the French heat.

Romania’s inside centre Jason Tomane is an absolute unit of a man at over 100 kilograms of sheer power. The New Zealand-born star will need to be at his bruising best against Bundee Aki on both sides of the ball. He is a quality player and one of the key drivers in the Oaks set-up.

Another New Zealand-born Romanian is Hinckley Vaovasa at fly-half, who is going to have a tricky game behind a pack that will likely be under pressure. There is a big onus on him to be resourceful and make the most of any decent ball that comes his way.

Main head-to-head

This Test’s main battle sees two of the hardest-working players on the field collide in what will be an epic match-up. It is the tussle of the eights.

Caelan Doris has been one of the world’s premier loose forwards for some time with his high work rate complemented by impressive mobility and power on both sides of the ball. He is a coach’s dream, one of those players who has the perfect blend of instinct and rugby IQ in his playing style. He will cover every blade of grass and be a key player in this one.

For Romania, it is their skipper Cristian Chirica who will be absolutely vital to the prospects of his team. The number eight is a beast in every sense of the word and is very hard-working to match. He will be under no illusions of the challenge ahead of him and a big effort will be necessary from the star man.

Prediction

Ireland are a very well-organised team with superior quality from top to bottom. They have also gone with a very strong side as they look to build momentum. It is going to be a long game in the French heat for Romania with Ireland to win by 45 points.

Previous meetings

2015: Ireland won 44-10 in London
2003: Ireland won 45-17 in Gosford
1999: Ireland won 44-14 in Dublin

The teams

Ireland: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Keith Earls, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Jonathan Sexton (c), 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris, 7 Peter O’Mahony, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 James Ryan, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Rob Herring, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements: 16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Jeremy Loughman, 18 Tom O’Toole, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Josh van der Flier, 21 Conor Murray, 22 Jack Crowley, 23 Robbie Henshaw

Romania: 15 Marius Simionescu, 14 Nicolas Onutu, 13 Fonovai Tangimana, 12 Jason Tomane, 11 Tevita Manumua, 10 Hinckley Vaovasa, 9 Gabriel Rupanu, 8 Cristian Chirica (c), 7 Vlad Neculau, 6 Florian Rosu, 5 Stefan Iancu, 4 Adrian Motoc, 3 Alexandru Gordas, 2 Ovidiu Cojocaru, 1 Iulian Hartig
Replacements: 16 Florin Bardasu, 17 Alexandru Savin, 18 Gheorghe Gajion, 19 Marius Iftimiciuc, 20 Dragos Ser, 21 Alin Conache, 22 Tudor Boldor, 23 Taylor Gontineac

Date: Saturday, September 9
Venue: Stade de Bordeaux
Kick-off: 15:30 local (14:30 BST, 13:30 GMT)
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
Assistant Referees: Wayne Barnes (England), Andrea Piardi (Italy)
TMO: Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)

READ MORE: Rugby World Cup team tracker: All the line-ups for the thrilling opening weekend’s action

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