Farrell: Ireland scrum saving best until last

There has been regression since at scrum-time, with Ireland’s front row coming off second best to Italy, England and Wales

Ireland's scrum struggled against Wales. Pic: ©INPHO

Andy Farrell believes Ireland’s under-pressure scrummaging unit is saving the best for last in the Triple Crown decider against Scotland at Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

After a torrid November Test window when world champions South Africa reduced the Irish scrum to rubble in Dublin with both Andrew Porter and his replacement at loosehead prop Paddy McCarthy yellow carded during the Autumn Nations Series clash and a penalty try conceded to the Springboks, question marks over the set-piece were carried over into this year’s Guinness Six Nations.

Injuries to both Porter and McCarthy, compounded by the loss of third-choice loosehead Jack Boyle increased fears for the Irish scrum but with Jeremy Loughman starting and his Munster squad-mate Michael Milne backing up off the bench, solidity was restored on an otherwise depressing night in Paris as Ireland were beaten 36-14 by France on the opening night.

There has been regression since at scrum-time, however, with Ireland’s front row coming off second best to Italy, England and Wales despite Farrell’s team winning all three matches.

Scotland’s 50-40 victory over champions-elect France last weekend at Murrayfield featured a strong scrummaging display from the home pack and Farrell named converted tighthead Tom O’Toole for the second game in a row at loosehead, while recalling hooker Dan Sheehan alongside first-choice number three Tadhg Furlong as his front row to face Pierrer Schoeman, George Turner and Zander Ferguson in Dublin this Saturday.

Giving his backing to scrum coach John Fogarty and his squad’s front-rowers on Thursday after naming his team to face the Scots with a Triple Crown on the line, the head coach backed them to turn the scrum around.

"The guys are working extremely hard to save the best until last, that's for sure,” Farrell said.

"Obviously, there's the obvious stuff there as far as personnel and all the swapping and changing, but at the same time now we know where that's at.

"It's about delivering at the weekend, isn't it?

"I've no qualms about it, you guys are always going to ask questions about something that it adding to the penalty count or whatever.

"It's the same vein as what you talked about last year with the lineout, I've completely the same faith in John and all the lads to do exactly the same."

Farrell has had good returns from both his starting hookers during the championship with first-choice Sheehen returning after a weekend off to replace fellow British & Irish Lion Ronan Kelleher as last Friday’s replacement against Wales Tom Stewart drops out of the matchday 23.

"A little bit of a different competition with just one fallow week and freshening things up,” was the Ireland boss’s explanation for his deployment of Sheehan, Kelleher and Stewart as he builds squad depth ahead of the 2027 World Cup in 18 months Down Under.

"More so, like I've been saying all along, it's to give people a chance when they deserve it. Tom Stewart 100 per cent deserved it, he could have had a try last weekend and didn't.

“That'll whet his appetite now, everyone in the squad; lads who are not playing this weekend, to go away and understand where they think they're at, where we think they're at and then kick on to make sure that they're on the plane to Australia."