Amanaki Mafi of Japan is tackled by James Ryan and Billy Burns of Ireland during the Aviva Stadium clash. Photo by Brendan Moran/SportsfileA week of mixed messages ended with a resounding one delivered by Irish captain James Ryan. Ireland coach Andy Farrell had muddied the waters when shedding little light on his conversation with Gatland last weekend but Ryan’s response on and off the field was definitive. “That game in 2019 was one of the hardest games I ever played,” said Ryan who, like his side, started terribly but gradually improved. “The game they play, it’s such a fast high tempo game and we knew this would be a seriously tough.

Source: Irish Independent July 03, 2021 16:30 UTC