Former Ireland flyhalf Ian Madigan believes the Irish scrum has improved since being destroyed by the Springboks in Dublin last year.
The Bok pack repeatedly dismantled their opponents at scrum time, earning a penalty try in a 24-13 victory, with Ireland props Andrew Porter and Paddy McCarthy both yellow-carded.
The teams meet again at the Aviva Stadium on 21 November.
“While it wasn’t a comprehensive loss on the scoreboard, it was a comprehensive loss looking at it,” Madigan told Virgin Media Sport. “We were beaten up, up front. In particular, our scrum wasn’t able to hold up.”
However, Madigan believes Ireland’s scrum has made significant strides since then.
“I think our front five is becoming genuinely world-class,” he said. “I thought [Andrew] Porter was exceptional [in Friday night’s 42-12 win against Argentina], alongside the likes of [Dan] Sheehan and [Tadhg] Furlong. Joe McCarthy really stepping up into the potential that we know he has.
“That is the foundation of whether we can be competitive with South Africa or not.”
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Former Ireland centre Darren Cave warned that another scrum battering could have a lasting psychological impact.
“If South Africa come to Dublin and annihilate our scrum, then that’s a long way to come back to really believe deep down that you can beat that team in a World Cup,” he said.
However, Cave believes the Boks now pose a threat beyond their traditional forward power and kicking game.
“From an X-factor point of view, the likes of Sacha [Feinberg-Mngomezulu], Kurt-Lee Arendse … Kolbe’s not playing. Like, they have it.”
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Madigan also highlighted another area where Ireland will need to be competitive against the Boks.
“The aerial contest is such a big part of the game now, and we’re getting the ball aerially accurate to give our wingers the opportunity to win the ball back.
“You can’t give the South African team access into the game in that area.”
Photo: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile via Getty Images
The post ‘Ireland front five becoming world class’ appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Former Ireland flyhalf Ian Madigan believes the Irish scrum has improved since being destroyed by the Springboks in Dublin last year.
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