The way Japan took down two-time World Cup winners South Africa on Saturday may have jolted rugby's elite nations slightly.
But with Ireland set to face Tier 2 opposition in the shape of Romania this weekend, former Ireland second-row Trevor Hogan does not expect a repeat of what the Japanese team did to the Springboks as he told Off The Ball tonight when he and Liam Toland joined us to review
"I hear some of the Irish team now are talking about Tier 2 teams, because of Japan, that means we have to be - we always have to be wary - but I wouldn't equate even Canada and possibly Romania with Japan. Because you look at what Japan did and their ability in attack, Canada didn't have that. They had no real threat to Ireland and even with Cudmore there they still didn't have the basics of maul defence. They weren't able to handle Ireland at the set piece. Romania might be a bit more of a challenge at the scrum but I think Japan, they are almost unique now with what they have - an ability to break through from Tier 2. But I still think Ireland should be looking to beat Romania fairly well."
Trevor also highlighted Romania's four-day turnaround ahead of the Ireland match.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
