Caelan Doris discussed how inspiring it is to play in front of thousands of Irish fans at the Stade de France after the team’s remarkable six-try victory over Scotland.
Andy Farrell’s men advanced to the last eight after tries from James Lowe, Hugo Keenan (2), Iain Henderson, Dan Sheehan, and Garry Ringrose. They will meet New Zealand at the same site next Saturday night.
Doris said the fans ‘inspire us immensely and drive us on in some of the toughest periods’.
The number 8’s parents, Chris and Rachel, as well as his older brother Rian, flew down from Los Angeles to make the celebration even more special for the Doris family.
“These games are unique. “The number of Irish (people) coming over to support us is insane, knowing how much time and money they’re putting in,” Caelan added.
“It’s a great motivator for all of us.” I always look forward to the bus ride as we approach the stadium and watch everyone going crazy, waving and chanting.
“The ‘Zombie’ song after we’ve done the lap.” They are memories that will stay with us for a long time, but they will also fuel us for the week ahead. It’s quite unique.
“There were probably 20 or 30 lads from my year (at school) there.” My brother, who was visiting from Los Angeles, was there for his first game. Special occasions, for sure.
Doris put up a strong performance as Ireland won 36-14 on another fantastic night in Saint-Denis. He was the team’s leading carrier (12), won an early penalty with his breakdown skills, and he and Josh van der Flier combined for nearly 40 tackles.
When in possession, the Lacken man was extremely good, fighting hard to make the hard yards after contact, and his decoy running – especially in the build-up to the first of Hugo Keenan’s two tries – helped to give the backs that additional bit of space and time.
He was pleased with the first 40 minutes, especially as they tried to celebrate Peter O’Mahony’s 100th birthday in style, but he was also irritated by Scotland’s two tries out wide.
“We’ve had some decent results against Scotland over the last couple of years, but definitely felt we haven’t given our best performances,” he said in an interview with Virgin Media Sport.
“I’d say that first half was probably pretty close to it.” There is always space for development, especially in the second half. It was disappointing to give up those two tries.
Another motivator was Pete’s 100th birthday, and what a dedicated servant he has been for the last 10, 15, 20 years. I’m not sure what his age is! But he’s given so much to the jersey, and it was motivation for us to put on a good show for him.
“Give him some of what he’s given us back and celebrate it with him, so it’s a happy changing room afterwards.”
“I used to love watching him when he first came out (in 2012), probably when I was in school.” I had to put the classic ‘Haggard Badger’ in there!”
Doris was present throughout the historic 2022 series win in New Zealand, witnessing the first Test low at Eden Park before history was made in both Dunedin and Wellington, and understands what a difficult battle Ian Foster’s troops will provide next weekend.
It will be Ireland’s third consecutive match in Paris against a top-five squad, following defeats to South Africa and Scotland, and the 25-year-old believes both teams have improved since their last meeting 15 months ago.
“We’ll have tomorrow (Sunday) off and a slower start on Monday, which will help us get a couple of sleep-ins.” It’s a lot of fun, and I think it’ll be easy to turn the page and get started this week.
“New Zealand has been impressive.” They’ve clearly improved since the last time we played them. We believe we have as well, and that we have not yet demonstrated our best. So, yes, it will be a big one.
“I think you push the nerves early in the week by talking about how big the game is, and then as the week progresses, you go back to basics and trust in ourselves as a team, trust in ourselves as individuals.”
“In some ways, the last four years have been preparing for this.” It is just where you want to be. We do it because you want to play in major games as a player. Even during the busiest weeks, our group had a fantastic time. It’s fantastic and exciting.”
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