Andrew Porter vows Ireland will not take Japan lightly despite 61-7 defeat to Springboks as Quilter Nations Series comes to Dublin

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Ireland prop Andrew Porter has insisted Ireland will not be complacent ahead of their Quilter Nations Series clash with Japan in Dublin. Andy Farrell's men were left frustrated by New Zealand last week, who ran out 26-13 winners in Chicago and are looking to bounce back in style at Aviva Stadium. Eddie Jones' Japan, ranked 13th in the world, fell to a 61-7 loss to South Africa at Wembley.

Furlong scores for 'patient' Ireland despite red card in New Zealand clash

Video credit: TNT Sports

Andrew Porter has vowed that Ireland will not take Japan lightly as the two sides prepare for their Quilter Nations Series (QNS) clash in Dublin.

Ireland fell to a frustrating 26-13 defeat to New Zealand in Chicago last week, unable to reach the same heights as nine years previously, when they beat The All Blacks 40-29.

Japan, meanwhile, suffered a 61-7 loss to South Africa at Wembley, with the World Champions having far too much for Eddie Jones’ men.

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Ireland are ranked third in the world, while Japan are now 13th, a long way off their highest ever rank of seventh following the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

Despite their opposition in the early kick-off being lower ranked than Georgia, who Ireland beat 34-5 in Tbilisi in the summer with 16 players missing, prop Porter insists his team will not be complacent.

Highlights: New Zealand battle back to overcome 14-player Ireland in Chicago

Video credit: TNT Sports

"They're a really well-organised unit," the 75-capped Irishman said.

"Against South Africa, it didn't go the way they wanted but they're still a great attacking threat and have a good set piece, so we won't be taking them lightly or will be complacent about it at all.

"The worst thing you can do is underestimate them and we won't be doing that."

Japan have a history of stinging tier one opposition in the previous decade, most famously winning 34-32 against the Springboks at the 2015 Rugby World Cup, with Jones at the Helm in his first stint.

Ireland too were victim to Japan’s four years of success, which culminated in them hosting the World Cup in 2019 and winning all four of their pool matches.

That included a thrilling 28-21 win over Scotland, but also a 19-12 win over Ireland as Japan succumbed to rugby fever.

That was the only time Japan have come out on top in the two sides’ history, with Ireland winning the other 11 encounters.

That includes the most recent clash between the two, where Ireland showed their class to the Aviva Stadium crowd and won 60-5, with Johnny Sexton excelling on his 100th cap.

It is unsurprising that Porter is hoping Ireland can achieve a performance like that again, particularly after such a disappointing result a week ago.

"It was a bit of a springboard and was a step in the right direction," Porter said.

"We were looking back to it and how good that cohesion was, it felt like everything clicked that day and in that series, and that's what we're trying to do now after game one, we want to get that feeling back."

How to watch Ireland v Japan?

Ireland v Japan will be live on TNT Sports 3 and discovery+.

TNT Sports is available across all major TV platforms, offering a line-up of up to four TV channels (TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports 2, TNT Sports 3, TNT Sports 4), and up to six digital or red-button channels (TNT Sports 5 to 10), and TNT Sports Ultimate plus TNT Sports Box Office HD.

You can subscribe to TNT Sports through discovery+, BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.

To find out where your local establishments showing TNT Sports are, use our Pub Finder.

For the latest information on which football matches are on TNT Sports, click here.

Here is the TNT Sports schedule and TV guide. And for the full Quilter Nations Series schedule, click here.

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