The last 2 games were big reality checks.
Size is now vital in the front row. We need new LH, TH & Hooker and that's in addition to retaining Alaalatoa.
We need to adjust to far more kicking in games. Russell and Spencer launched missiles into our 22 and our wingers were all at sea. Thaakir can't play away in big games, he was just flapping under the high balls. Kilgallen was poor too and that's really worrying.
IMO - JJ did very well.
Right now our situation at TH is a joke - Jager and Salanoa are not fit and Foxe isn't ready.
Hopefully Humph will allow NIQ signings - if not, I can't see Donk stay. A few must be released, sadly
QF is the best we can hope for in URC & CC - hopefully we can develop the Edogbos, Quinn, Gleeson and Evan plus a back.
We must also sort the line out.
We must lower expectations and hopefully get back to the top table next season
I'd generally agree with that but wouldn't be quite as pessimistic about the scrum.
Something is going on in Irish forward play and it's down to the training & coaching. The sheer physical size is a product of coaching. Not many of the props in the SA squad are particularly tall men, nor with a couple of exceptions, crazy heavy. Ntlabankanye is 150kg+ but he' s rarely in the Springboks and part of the worst performing of the SA scrums.
They are on average, about 5-10kg heavier than their Irish equivalents though. The starting front row for Ireland vs SA, according to official stats, was 354kg, for SA, 376kg. That is a significant difference but a lot of that is Du Toit being 17kg heavier than Furlong.
SA have an entire infrastructure built up around being excellent in the scrum such as with
Kamp Staal Daan, in a way Ireland don't. Ireland has been focused on speed and accuracy of recycling, but have apparently moved on from that into <insert strategy here because I'm not certain what it is any more>. I think the focus on "total rugby" type approach has resulted in focus dropped from the forward set piece. With SA having figured out you can really make hay with a strong set piece, Irish teams are suffering.
Munster used to breed tough tough props by default, partly due to the number of farm lads who throw sheep over fences for a living. You had to be fucking good to overcome the inate strength that comes from farming. I suspect the culture around that has died off over recent decades.
That said, imports will only get so far. They're something not right in the coaching, the Munster pack hasn't been a feared bunch of absolute bastards for a long time. SA have got that, and it's what Irish rugby needs to learn from them.
