Desperately seeking consistency, Irish plot campaign revival

Rugby Union - Ireland v New Zealand - Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland - November 17, 2018 Ireland's CJ Stander celebrates at the end of the match REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

KOBE, Japan (Reuters) - It was consistency that took Ireland to a place where they were considered Rugby World Cup contenders and loose forward CJ Stander believes they must rediscover it if they are to revive a campaign rocked by a shock loss to Japan.

Renowned through the decades as a team that ran hot and cold, the Irish became the Northern Hemisphere benchmark for consistency in 2018 when they won the Six Nations with a Grand Slam and notched up a second win over New Zealand.