CAELAN DORIS hopes it is third time lucky for Ireland when it comes to getting their discipline right as they look to silence Fiji’s ‘vulnerable’ jibes.
Ireland racked up 13 penalties – when the aim is to keep them in single figures – against both New Zealand and Argentina.
And the Ireland captain admitted it would be unacceptable for them to rack up that number for the third game on the trot.
He said: “Definitely. It’s something we’ve spoken about a lot over the last couple of weeks.
“There’s no panic buttons being pushed but it’s just about not being desperate.
“I gave away two last week which were just sloppy offsides.
“There’s an onus on everyone to be a little bit more focused, a little bit sharper there. And take no chances.”
He reckons their high penalty-count might be why Fiji scrum-half Frank Lomani believes Ireland could be in danger of losing to his country for the first time.
Doris shrugged: “I remember the one a couple of years back for how physical it was. It’s going to be the same and I’m looking forward to the challenge of that.”
The back row believes that discipline is the fundamental issue behind them not scoring after the break in either of those two games.
He said: “We had five consecutive penalties against New Zealand in the second half and that gave them a ton of momentum, possession, field position.
“Against Argentina, between the 35th and the 65th we gave away a number of penalties as well. They had nine lineouts we didn’t have any.
“So it’s largely down to our discipline, when it’s coming and the effect of it more than anything to do with our attack, I believe.”
And he has warned his team-mates that they will have to adapt to whatever conditions Storm Bert throw at them.
He said: “Possession, territory become a lot more important. The breakdown, set-piece, discipline again, it’s going to be even more important.
“Building a score, if you go two scores clear then the opposition has to play the game a different way and start forcing things a little bit which will be tricky in the conditions.
“It’s still a little bit of an unknown how it’s going to be. It’s supposed to be lashing overnight,
“Whether it will be greasy or actually raining during the game I’m not sure but it’s definitely a factor we’ll have to consider.
