Ireland great Brian O’Driscoll believes Jacques Nienaber’s defensive system at Leinster continues to create problems for players when they return to the national side.
Ireland survived a major scare to edge the Wallabies 33-31 in last weekend’s Nations Championship clash in Sydney, conceding 24 first-half points before fighting back to claim victory.
O’Driscoll felt the visitors were fortunate not to fall even further behind, pointing to Hugo Keenan’s try-saving tackle on Joseph Suaalii as a pivotal moment.
“It’s a huge try-saving tackle from Hugo, another bad defensive error,” O’Driscoll said on Off The Ball.
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The former Ireland captain has previously questioned whether Leinster players are finding it difficult to switch between Nienaber’s aggressive blitz system and Ireland’s defensive approach, and he believes the Wallabies exposed that disconnect.
“There’s definitely an issue with transferring one defensive system to another. It’s ingrained in these Leinster players, and actually it’s not just them,” he said.
“I saw [centre] Stuart McCloskey at one stage shooting out of the line and the big thing about the shooters coming out of the line is you have to stop the ball or force the players back inside, but Australia were getting the ball out the back, they were doing those little loop plays.
“They have big variety hitting the short runner after that and sometimes going out the back, so Ireland looked incredibly exposed.”
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O’Driscoll acknowledged the challenge facing players asked to switch systems between club and country.
“I have sympathy for these players because it is something which has been drilled and drilled over the course of the last few years, particularly at Leinster with Jacques Nienaber’s defence,” he said.
“When they have line speed off the line, they think whoever is outside them is going to shut it off as well and that actually hasn’t been happening because it’s a different system.”
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Despite his concerns, O’Driscoll expects Ireland to tighten up defensively when they face Japan in Newcastle this Saturday.
“I will imagine it will be significantly better,” he said.
Photo: Matt King/Getty Images
The post BOD takes another dig at Nienaber’s defence appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Ireland great Brian O’Driscoll believes Jacques Nienaber’s defensive system at Leinster continues to create problems for players when they return to the national side.
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