Minor tweaks just the tonic for Irish lineout

'We’re constantly trying to tweak and fine-tune our individual drills. There was no revamp or anything, it was just keep doing what we’re doing,' said Ronan Kelleher.

IMPROVEMENTS MADE: Caelan Doris and Ronan Kelleher. Pic: Ryan Byrne, Inpho

Of the major positives witnessed in Marseille last Friday as Ireland rampaged past France to open their Guinness Six Nations title defence, the rebirth of the team’s lineout as a weapon might just have been the most impressive.

It was only a couple of months ago that IRFU performance director David Nucifora described Ireland’s World Cup lineout performance as “a bit of a challenge for us” and added: “We weren't as consistent as we'd have liked to be” as he discussed a campaign which fell short once again at the quarter-final stage.

“Lineout defence at the moment across the game has improved and we've got to find a way to be able to improve our lineout attack to be able to get ahead of the game as well," Nucifora warned in December.

Fast forward to last weekend and the lessons look to have been learned, the lineout platform providing the platform for all of Ireland’s five tries against the rudderless French and none more emphatically than the two scored off driving mauls from Andy Farrell’s two hookers, starter Dan Sheehan and replacement Ronan Kelleher.

Yet having grabbed the second of those from the lineout drive to secure the 38-17 bonus-point victory at Stade Velodrome, Kelleher yesterday insisted no major revamp had taken place at the set-piece, despite Ireland recording a perfect completion rate from 13 lineouts.

“We didn’t change much,” he said. “We’re constantly trying to tweak and fine-tune our individual drills. There was no revamp or anything, it was just keep doing what we’re doing.

“In the World Cup, it didn’t go….it wasn’t all bad like….it went all right, it was just little, tiny bits and pieces here and there which obviously didn’t click on the day but it’s nothing major, no revamp or anything, very much just tweaks.” 

Kelleher did admit opponents had gone after Ireland’s lineout at the World Cup but it had not sent the set-piece think tank led by forwards coach Paul O’Connell back to the drawing board.

“It was difficult but, also, I suppose teams were looking at our game and trying to figure out where they could get a bit of access. 

"We came up against some good lineout D as well, in terms of South Africa. They have a brilliant lineout defence, Scotland have a good lineout defence as well.

“So like I suppose there wasn’t any major revamp or anything like that, there wasn’t any real scare for us, we were still very confident in our lineout, our drill, in what we were doing, it wasn’t anything major.” 

Kelleher also played a part in head coach Farrell’s decision to send five of his six replacement forwards – Cian Healy, Finlay Bealham, Ryan Baird and Jack Conan were the others - into the fray in Marseille on 63 minutes, directly following Sheehan’s try secured the bonus point for Ireland. 

James Ryan followed just three minutes later to replace man of the match Joe McCarthy and the hooker said: “Yeah, that was nice. Good craic.

“It was good but we always know our job is to come on and add a bit of energy, fit in first.

“The lads had obviously done such a good job over the first 50 minutes or whatever so very much fit in, don’t try and reinvent the wheel or anything then bring a bit of energy and keep doing what they were doing.” 

Clearly, Kelleher would prefer to have a starting role this Sunday afternoon when Ireland return to Dublin to meet Italy at Aviva Stadium, but he said personal ambition did not trump what was best for the team.

“It’s obviously a very competitive group and you come in each week hoping that you will be in the starting team and if you are told that you are on the bench you quickly shift your mindset to the next job and I was very much looking forward to the game.

"It would be nice to get a start but at the minute it seems to be a case of focus on the job in front of you.

“To be honest it’s quite easy to get over it. It’s very quick once the team is named, you soon move into a different role, focusing on getting your individual role right when you come on and get the chance. You’re running the opposition roles as well so you are trying to best prepare the team too. It’s very much the best team-mate you can be.

“Dan has obviously been on fire this season and for much of last year as well and it’s up to the rest of us to keep that competition going and keep competing for that place.”