Preview: Ireland's World Cup depth to be tested by Fiji

As mind games go, Vern Cotter doesn't get top marks for originality.

The Fiji head coach has never been afraid to ruffle a few feathers in his long career in the game, but when he suggested that Ireland would be treating today's Test at the Aviva Stadium as a "training session", it was best to take the words, as Simon Easterby put it, with a pinch of salt.

Yes, the hosts have made wholesale changes to the side that defeated South Africa last weekend, but many of those have been born of necessity, with captain Johnny Sexton, as well as Josh van der Flier, James Ryan, Andrew Porter and Hugo Keenan all feeling the lasting effects of the bruising encounter with the world champions.

It's a weakened Ireland selection on paper, with nine changes from last week's 19-16 win, but with the games between now and next year's World Cup fast running out, there's more than enough jeopardy to keep Ireland's 23 motivated.

We'll never know how much rotation Andy Farrell would have allowed had he a full squad to choose from, but the opportunity now presents itself for several fringe players to make their mark against one of the game's most predictably unpredictable sides.

Preparing for South Africa and preparing for Fiji are two vastly different tasks. It's no disrespect to the Springboks to suggest that their strengths are well signposted, the big challenge against South Africa is how you deal with it. Fiji, meanwhile, have built their reputation on being the game's great entertainers, and while that can often be a backhanded compliment, they can test split-second decision making as well as anyone.

"I think we can predict a certain amount but you can't predict everything," said defence coach Simon Easterby at yesterday's captain's run at the