Justice minister, DGA chief discuss partnership to boost digital judicial services    Netanyahu does not rule out further strikes on Hamas leaders    US farmers are being squeezed – and it's testing their deep loyalty to Trump    Romania condemns 'irresponsible' Moscow after Russian drone breaches its airspace    Kirk's assassination is forcing US politicians to make difficult choices about their safety    India players refused handshakes, says Pakistan coach    Final stage of Spanish Vuelta cycling race abandoned after disruption by pro-Palestine protesters    Mané fires Al Nassr past Al Kholood to keep perfect start as Ronaldo honored    Lacazette brace earns NEOM SC first Saudi Pro League win    Adolescence star Owen Cooper makes Emmys history at 15    Saudi liquidity grows 8.4%, reaching SR3.1 trillion in July 2025    Over 434,000 people acquire first aid skills during nationwide health campaign    Saudi Arabia's legislative advancement highlighted at International Conference on Judicial Training    Sudden swerving among 3 major causes of accidents in Riyadh in 2024    Princess Haifa emphasizes pivotal Saudi role in shaping future of tourism    Sahm Capital names Saudi Olympian Fayik Abdi as brand ambassador    SR9000 fine for copyright infringement using AI    King Charles and Prince Harry finally reunite after 19 months apart    Anastacia: Arnold Schwarzenegger made me sing Whatta Man 12 times    Thousands pay their last respects to Giorgio Armani, private funeral on Monday    The key to happiness    Sholay: Bollywood epic roars back to big screen after 50 years with new ending    Ministry launches online booking for slaughterhouses on eve of Eid Al-Adha    Shah Rukh Khan makes Met Gala debut in Sabyasachi    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Ireland's Sexton confident they can break quarter-final curse
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 14 - 10 - 2019

Johnny Sexton is adamant his side can break Ireland's quarter-final curse and beat the All Blacks at Tokyo Stadium on Saturday, if they get their game plan and execution exactly right.
Joe Schmidt's team entered the World Cup as the top-ranked side in the world but after an opening thrashing of a poor Scotland, have failed to convince their fans they could be the first Irish side to make the last four at the tournament.
Sexton said the side were aware of social and traditional media criticism of the performances, but the team were exactly where they needed to be if they were going to push past their quarterfinal choke point.
"We know things weren't great," Sexton told reporters on Monday.
"But look we are where we are, we're exactly where we want to be in terms of a quarterfinal and now we're going to do everything we can for this week to put our best selves out there and hopefully that can get us the right result."
Ireland finished runners-up in Pool A after Japan shocked them with a 19-12 victory at Shizuoka Stadium before the tournament hosts finished the pool phase unbeaten and set up a quarter-final with South Africa.
That meant Joe Schmidt's side ended up facing the All Blacks in Tokyo on Saturday and while they have failed to ignite during the tournament so far, they do have the game to beat New Zealand, having beaten them twice in their last four encounters.
At their best, Ireland simply suffocate their opposition, controlling the ball for long periods and battling ahead centimeter by centimeter through their combative forwards.
They also put pressure on their opposition back three with Conor Murray's tactical kicking game, while Sexton's game management is world class as he accumulates points and drives his side forward.
More importantly it is a style of game that the All Blacks only see rarely – the Springboks are adept at it as well – and find difficult to combat.
"It's going to be an incredibly tough game but one we're looking forward to," Sexton said.
"When you do get a chance you have to take it. That sounds easy but it's a lot harder to do against such a quality team.
"Your defense has to be the best it can be - we'll need to be at our best in that regard and with our discipline too.
"We'll need to be pretty close to as good as we can be in all aspects to be able to get the result.
"We're building nicely, we haven't hit our best performance yet and we need to get close to that to get the right result on Saturday." — Reuters


Clic here to read the story from its source.