LYON, France (AP) — New Zealand was positive about the chance of injured tighthead prop Tyrel Lomax coming right in time to face Ireland in the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals.
Lomax strained the medial ligament in his right knee against Uruguay on Thursday in Lyon. He was forced off only nine minutes into his first start since the pre-tournament defeat to South Africa in August when his right thigh was accidentally gashed by studs.
“He's getting better by the day, better than we expected,” coach Ian Foster said on Sunday.
“It's just a strain, he's had an injury there before. How much of it is old scar tissue we are not quite clear yet, but signs today are looking really good.”
Ireland crushed Scotland 36-14 on Saturday to confirm the quarterfinal matchup with the All Blacks next Saturday at Stade de France.
Ireland was eliminated by New Zealand 46-14 in the 2019 quarterfinals but has become a far better team. The Irish beat the All Blacks in a historic series in New Zealand last year, the start of an ongoing 17-test winning run that also netted the Six Nations Grand Slam.
The Irish edged defending champion South Africa in pool play and are considered the team to beat. Foster didn't disagree.
“This is probably their moment,” he said. "If they're ever going to win a World Cup, they will probably feel like it's now.
"They have got their game pretty well organised, well sorted. On a massive winning streak. Got a clear goal to create history for themselves in this tournament.
"They’ll be confident and I kind of love that challenge.”
The All Blacks suffered an opening loss to France in the Rugby World Cup, their first ever defeat in pool play, and rebounded by scoring 240 points in their last three games. Foster noted they aren’t the same team, either, that lost the Irish series last year.
“(Ireland) said it at the time that they took something from us and it was a massive achievement for them to win on New Zealand soil. Which it was,” Foster said. “But there's been a lot of water go under the bridge since then.”
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AP Rugby World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby
