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Josh van der Flier would rather play at midnight than endure the scorching temperatures which caused him to ditch his distinctive red scrum cap in Ireland\u2019s Rugby World Cup opener.<\/p>\n
The world player of the year bolstered his side from the bench as they launched their campaign with a thumping 82-8 win over Romania on a baking-hot afternoon in Bordeaux.<\/p>\n
Ireland\u2019s other three Pool B fixtures \u2013 against Tonga, South Africa and Scotland \u2013 will each kick-off at 9pm local time, something Van der Flier was initially uneasy about.<\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Cw-MnWlMRQz<\/p>\n
But, after enduring heat of 36 degrees Celsius, the flanker has had a change of heart, having felt ready to come back off just 15 minutes into a challenging Saturday afternoon cameo.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI was thinking before the tournament that 9pm is so late, it\u2019s a really long day,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut then when I saw the weather in the captain\u2019s run (on Friday), I said I\u2019d happily play at midnight if it\u2019s a bit cooler.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the first half, most of the pitch was in the sun, second half you were in the sun and it almost felt like a break when you got into the other half of the field where it was a bit shaded.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will definitely make a big difference (kicking off later).<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of credit has to go to the lads who played 80 minutes out there. After 15 of my 20 minutes, I was nearly ready to get subbed off again. It was tough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Van der Flier looked slightly unfamiliar as he emerged without his customary scrum cap to replace Leinster team-mate Caelan Doris.<\/p>\n
The 30-year-old also felt compelled to remove the distinguishing head gear, which was initially chosen to match his school\u2019s kit, during Ireland\u2019s pre-tournament training camp in the Algarve.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI tried wearing it in training in Portugal and I really, really struggled,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just an extra bit of heat and it makes a big difference when you take it off.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did notice that it just feels different not having a scrum cap on but definitely glad not to have it in this heat.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast World Cup, I didn\u2019t wear it for the first game, then I got a cut on my head so I had to start wearing it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had done it before but I would probably be more comfortable wearing it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ireland take on Tonga in Nantes before Paris showdowns with reigning world champions South Africa and Scotland.<\/p>\n
Wing James Lowe is braced for tougher tests against some \u201cscary teams\u201d and is not yet contemplating a potential quarter-final clash with his native New Zealand.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cIt\u2019s not going to get any easier now, the further we get, is it?<\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Cw-IW36s2_d<\/p>\n
\u201cTonga are physical, we struggled against Samoa (a 17-13 win) a couple of weeks ago and Tonga are a very similar outfit: physical, combative.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re going to run hard and tackle hard, so we\u2019re going to have to be smart there, and the week after it\u2019s South Africa, so it\u2019s not going to get any easier the longer we last.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Asked about possibly facing the All Blacks in the last eight, the 31-year-old replied: \u201cThere\u2019s a fair few scary teams before we even think about a quarter-final.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are labelling our pool as the \u2018pool of death\u2019, fair play.\u201d<\/p>\n