IRELAND”S LINEOUT STRUGGLES caught the attention of former Leinster star Bernard Jackman on the latest episode of Rugby Weekly Extra, the podcast for subscribers to The 42. 

“We probably haven’t got an out and out lineout specialist, someone who is just a master of that area,” Jackman said.

“Joe McCarthy and James Ryan as a combination are there for their physicality and work rate more so than being lineout gurus.

“You look at someone like Adam Beard or any of the South African locks bar Eben Etzebeth, they’re all lineout specialists. If you go back to Leo Cullen when he played or if you go back to Paul O’Connell himself, they were specialists. 

“Devin Toner for years was one of the first names picked for Joe Schmidt because the lineout and set piece off the lineout was such an important part of what Joe did. Devin added so much there.”

Jackman added: “I would start with that, [trying to find] a lineout caller who is absolutely the master of his craft and is world class at being composed and picking the right option. We don’t have that, and that’s just the profile that we have at the moment.” 

“I think that’s been the case for a while. I think we missed a trick in terms of player development. You talk about being really aligned, this shouldn’t have come as a surprise. There was nobody in the system who was likely to have the athletic ability to play for Ireland at lock that was being groomed to also be a lineout specialist. 

“They’ve tried to share it around, and Tadhg Beirne’s not bad, but it’s not his area of super strength if you get me. It’s a very difficult skill to have and the challenge for Paul O’Connell is to try and fast track someone to be that, if it’s not something that comes naturally to them. 

“I think they can fix it but unfortunately we’re going through a period at the moment where it’s quite painful for everybody involved.”

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