The orchestra may have their minds elsewhere, but the conductor is already bringing them together with opening night in mind. The countdown began yesterday to the Lansdowne Road, November 15th showdown against the world's best side, New Zealand, with the first of this season's regular midweek Irish squad sessions at the impressive ALSAA complex near Dublin Airport. With the All Blacks hovering metaphorically in the distance, deafening low-flying objects hovered overhead on a sunny, windy autumnal day as Brian Ashton brought a 37-man squad together for lengthy morning and afternoon sessions.

In effect, as manager Pat Whelan explained afterwards, these were the first of three midweek double sessions to compensate for the cancellation of the first three proposed sessions at the behest of the English clubs. "The players will fly in on Tuesday night for the next two sessions, but thereafter, they'll fly in and out on Wednesday," he said.

Ever mindful of maintaining "cordial relations with the clubs", a welter of players sat out all or some of yesterday's dual work-out and Keith Wood, Jim Staples and Simon Geoghegan were absent due to injury. The squad was supplemented by five additions, namely Kevin Nowlan, Dylan O'Grady, Ritchie Wallace, Conor McGuinness and Mark McCall.

"The key thing is to get the basic principle of our game organised. The focus of these is obviously playing against New Zealand, but I think it's too far away to start discussing it in detail. The players have their minds on other things. It's not deliberate. It's just the way things are," said Whelan.

Strictly speaking then, the All Blacks were not on the players' agenda, "but I've certainly focused my mind on that game," commented Ashton. "I have all the tapes of New Zealand's games in the Tri-Nations and the Bledisloe Cup, and I've had them analysed by the technical department of the IRFU. Mike Ruddock, Ray Southam and Warren Gatland have compiled a detailed, statistical breakdown of these tapes and I have a very good picture in my mind of how New Zealand will play.

"Obviously, they are totally unpredictable compared to, say, New Zealand sides of 15 years ago, but certain areas are repetitive, as they are with any side."

Readily aware from video evidence that the best means of defending against the All Blacks is to attack them, Ashton added the rider: "Also, New Zealand have defensive areas where you can open them up."

Allowing for that, there's no doubt about their current standing in the rugby world's pecking order. "I don't think there are many people who'd dispute the view that they're probably the number one side in the world, and by a fair margin. But, as I said to a Leinster committee man last Friday before the Leicester game, every game starts at 0-0, and anything can happen in the next 80 minutes."

In many respects, Ireland are jumping in at the deep end by starting their seven-match seasonal campaign against the All Blacks. Ashton would prefer to have tested the water beforehand, but concedes: "The season is so ludicrously congested now that it's just impossible to fit anything in. With the advent of professionalism there are far too many games. The quantity has gone up, but the quality is dropping."

Asked whether he had made up his mind regarding a starting XV to play New Zealand, Ashton replied: "It's not 100 per cent clear." Asked how close it was to completion, he smiled and said "about four or five weeks."

The Leinster Director of Rugby, Mike Ruddock, played a very active part in proceedings, assisting Ashton during the full-scale drills and set-piece and loosephase moves, in between overseeing the line-out and scrummaging practice.

"With our backs, we looked at ways of out-flanking defences and when we can't do that, then we looked at ways of penetrating them, because those are really the only ways backs can beat a defence."

Ashton bemoaned the lack of attacking variation this season, especially the recurring habit of overcomplicating attacking moves off the base of the scrum.

"The new law changes whereby the defending back-row stay bound at scrums has made the game, I wouldn't say easier, but it's given a lot more options. But I just don't see players attempting to use them. We've also got to start building variations off second and third-phase ball."

In particular, he bemoaned the continuous ploy of popping short passes for straight-line runners off the fringes. "It's quite easy to defend in those narrow channels around there. So we've got to look at ways of providing a variety on that."

It seems probable that this will be one of the most progressive Ireland sides ever to take to a rugby field. Asked what the Irish rugby supporters can expect from their national side this season, Ashton replied: "I'd like to think that we can put in place a game that reflects the talents of all the players we have and so give everybody an opportunity to make an impact on the game in their own particular way."

By getting the basics of set-pieces and defensive organisation right, Ashton hopes to add one or two attacking variations with which the Irish team "might start to go on an upward curve."

Looking at the trio of Lions present yesterday, along with a clutch of experienced internationals and a host of up-and-coming players, most of whom are either established in English clubs or blossoming under improved provincial set-ups, Ashton seems quietly optimistic. The development of players "who can think on their feet" should be helped by the presence of the Irish Lions.

The Irish coach was not overly surprised by the performances of the provinces, so far, in European competition, having expected an improvement due to the "stimulus of playing in Europe. "Not decrying Irish rugby, but for Leinster to play against Ulster is not quite the same challenge as playing Leicester. While I've been pleasantly surprised, there's a long way to go yet." Ashton added the same rider to the advent of professionalism in Irish rugby. "In Ireland and England, we're only scratching the surface of professionalism after a year and a bit."

Whelan, meanwhile, was "very optimistic about this season." Fitness levels are better than ever before, bridging a major international gulf for Irish representative sides. "If you look at the European Cup, I don't think any of our teams died in the last 20 minutes and when has that ever happened before?"

The Irish management have co-opted a nutritionist, Elaine McGovern, on to the technical staff and Whelan maintains that "improved personal disciplines contribute to a better attitude of mind on the pitch as well. We have a definite philosophy and the talent is there in greater numbers."

In addition to the three absentees, a number of players took no part in yesterday's proceedings. Rob Henderson (back-muscle spasm), Mark McCall (strained hamstring), Jeremy Davidson (cut and closed eye), David Humphreys, Justin Fitzpatrick and Ross Nesdale (all sprained ankles) should all be available for their clubs at the weekend. Jonathan Bell (torn hamstring) and Kieron Dawson (broken hand) ought to return in a fortnight or so, but hooker Barry McConnell is still suffering from the after effects of his collision with a goalpost in training on the development tour and will be out for virtually the whole season after having his cruciate knee ligament reconstructed.