Ireland v Pacific Islands:Shane Howarth has a simple solution to the Pacific Islanders' sense of Groundhog Day on their three-match tour to date when they play Ireland on Sunday. Start the game at half-time. Given they trailed both Wales and Scotland 31-5 at the interval, only to win the second halves by a combined tally of 32-10 and six tries to one, Eddie O'Sullivan is unlikely to comply.
"The two first halves has really baffled us a team," admits Howarth, assistant coach to the Islanders.
"You concede 62 points in two first halves, and 10 in two second halves. Generally, it should be the other way around. Trying to get the boys to know each other has been the biggest thing for us.
"If we just had one game build-up, two would have been fantastic, to get to know each other a wee bit better would have been of huge benefit to us. But it would be nice to go into half-time certainly in touch, and that's what we've been working toward this week, to make sure we start a wee bit better."
His head coach, Pat Lam, echoed those views and with a mixture of enthusiasm and regret admitted the two had just been agreeing how much they would love to coach this amalgam of Samoa, Fiji and Tonga for an entire season.
"There's a lot of talent here. We have a lot of good individuals but the real challenge in the short amount of time really has been about bringing them together as a team. And the neat thing this week is everywhere, in bits and pieces, you can see the boys buying into the way we're trying to play."
"We've shown glimpses of it. We've scored seven good tries. And the ones we've leaked have been through a lack of understanding of each other and the system. We've had a bit more time and we'll be getting better."
Injuries and departures, such as mercurial winger Rupeni Caucaunibuca, have meant there are five changes from the team which started the 34-22 defeat to Scotland, although all five of those coming in having featured prominently on the tour.
The Samoan loose-head Justin Va'a started and scored in the opening 38-20 defeat to Wales, the Tongan hooker Aleki Lutui has appeared as a replacement in both tour games, as has flanker Ma'ama Molitika in an all-Tongan backrow also featuring number eight Hale T-Pole, who started against Wales.
In Caucaunibuca's absence, the recent Saracens capture Kameli Ratuvou, who has scored three tries in their two Tests to date, moves from centre to wing with Leicester's Fijian centre Seru Rabeni, who started against Wales and came on against Scotland, returning to the team.
There is also a core of players who will be starting their third consecutive game on tour, Tevita Taumoepeau at tighthead, captain Simon Raiwalui and Daniel Leo in the secondrow, openside Nili Latu, halves Moses Raulini and Tusi Pisi, rightwing Lome Fa'atau and fullback Norman Ligairi.
For the second game in a row, the team comprises exactly five players each from Samoa, Fiji and Tonga, but Lam maintains this is "purely a coincidence. We don't even look at where they come from, we're all one team and we just pick who we think is the best on the day".
He might also have pointed to their original selection against Wales, which featured eight Samoan players.
Lam accepts that this looks to be their most difficult assignment on tour. "Ireland were outstanding in the last two games," he says, and cites the consistency in both the coaching and playing staff while also pointing to the selection on the bench heretofore of "the world-class Malcolm O'Kelly" as evidence of Ireland's strength in depth.
"It's a big challenge for us and it's the last game here at Lansdowne, so the boys would love to send that off with a bang. We'll try and come to the party as well."
