Ireland trained at the Yumeria Sports Grounds in Iwata on Thursday, ahead of their Pool A encounter with Rugby World Cup hosts Japan in Fukuroi City on Saturday.

Joe Schmidt appears likely to field the same side that brushed aside Scotland 27-3 in their opening fixture in Yokohama on September 22.

Ireland and Japan have met twice before at World Cup level – in 1991 Ireland won 32-16 in Dublin and came out on top again four years later with a 50-29 victory in South Africa.