Having watched rivals England pull off an eventually-comfortable win over Fiji in the opening match of the 2015 Rugby World Cup, Ireland will want to taste that same feeling when they play Canada in a Group D encounter at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday.
Ireland might be expected to ease past Canada, but they will have to do so without their main man Robbie Henshaw, who will miss the first match with a hamstring injury.
"Coming so late it is a disruption," Ireland coach Schmidt said of missing Henshaw. "I think you all saw the progress Robbie made in the Six Nations and how valuable he became.
Luke Fitzgerald will take Henshaw's place in the lineup at inside centre and Schmidt is confident he can do the job.
"Luke had already run in there a few times through the pre-World Cup Test matches, therefore he slotted in well," the coach added. "He's a player I've had playing No.12 in the past and have confidence in."
Another player tipped to do well for Ireland is Iain Henderson, who has been preferred to Devin Toner for this match against Canada.
"Iain has done very well and I don't think it's just in this off-season either, he's come in over the last two years, and he's been learning the ropes, not only through Paul O'Connell but also through Devin Toner," Les Kiss, Ireland's defensive coach, said.
"He's learned a lot in that time. It's another step up for him, a big tournament and it will be exciting for him. But we've seen what he can deliver.
"The potential's there but if he's got his mind on and his head right he can be a damaging player. So he'll have to bring that into the game in some form or other, whether that's in the set-piece or in the loose. But it's a big opportunity for him.
While Schmidt has had some good results, the coach has been accused in the past for being a little too pragmatic, but Kiss believes that will change at this World Cup, because he thinks attacking will have a better chance of lifting the title.
"I think the team that gets too conservative may not be the smartest," Kiss added. "You need to be able to adapt and react to the moments that are in front of you, the team that can actually see those moments, create those opportunities and clean them up at that moment are going to make a big difference.
"And I'd say that tries will win the World Cup."
Teams: Ireland: R Kearney; D Kearney, Payne, Fitzgerald, Earls; Sexton, Murray; McGrath, Best, Ross; Henderson, O'Connell; O'Mahony, O'Brien, Heaslip.
Replacements: Cronin, Healy, White, Ryan, Henry, Reddan, Madigan, Zebo.
Canada: Evans; Hassler, Hearn, Blevins, Van der Merwe; Hirayama, McRorie; Buydens, Barkwill, Wooldridge; Beukeboom, Cudmore; Gilmour, Moonlight, Carpenter.
Replacements: Piffero, Sears-Duru, Tiedemann, Sinclair, Thorpe, Mack, Underwood, Trainor.
Where to Watch Live
Ireland vs Canada is scheduled for a 2.30 pm BST (7 pm IST, 9.30 am ET) start. The Rugby World Cup Pool D match will not be shown live in India on TV.
Viewers in the UK and Ireland can watch the match live on ITV1, with the live stream option on ITV Player. Audience in Canada can watch the game live on TSN, while the action can also be live streamed on TSN TV.
Sky Sport will show the match live in New Zealand, while the action can also be watched via live streaming on Sky Go NZ.
Viewers in Australia can watch Ireland vs Canada live on Fox Sports 2, with the live stream option on Foxtel Play.
Match 3 of the 2015 Rugby World Cup will be shown live in South Africa on SuperSport, while the live stream option is on SuperSport Live Video.
Audience in the USA can watch the rugby World Cup opening match live on Universal Sports, while the big game can also be live streamed on Universal Sports Online.
