IRELAND”S LINEOUT STRUGGLES caught the attention of former Leinster star Bernard Jackman on the latest episode of Rugby Weekly Extra, the podcast for subscribers to The 42.
“We probably haven’t got an out and out lineout specialist, someone who is just a master of that area,” Jackman said.
“Joe McCarthy and James Ryan as a combination are there for their physicality and work rate more so than being lineout gurus.
“You look at someone like Adam Beard or any of the South African locks bar Eben Etzebeth, they’re all lineout specialists. If you go back to Leo Cullen when he played or if you go back to Paul O’Connell himself, they were specialists.
“Devin Toner for years was one of the first names picked for Joe Schmidt because the lineout and set piece off the lineout was such an important part of what Joe did. Devin added so much there.”
Jackman added: “I would start with that, [trying to find] a lineout caller who is absolutely the master of his craft and is world class at being composed and picking the right option. We don’t have that, and that’s just the profile that we have at the moment.”
“I think that’s been the case for a while. I think we missed a trick in terms of player development. You talk about being really aligned, this shouldn’t have come as a surprise. There was nobody in the system who was likely to have the athletic ability to play for Ireland at lock that was being groomed to also be a lineout specialist.
“They’ve tried to share it around, and Tadhg Beirne’s not bad, but it’s not his area of super strength if you get me. It’s a very difficult skill to have and the challenge for Paul O’Connell is to try and fast track someone to be that, if it’s not something that comes naturally to them.
“I think they can fix it but unfortunately we’re going through a period at the moment where it’s quite painful for everybody involved.”
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A good lineout specialist also needs good lifters. O Mahony was one of out best lineout jumpers
I think the Irish management needs to look at Tome Aherne, from Munster. He is 6 9’ and a phenomenal athlete. He could be developed into a Dev Toner replacement – plus he has speed and a good skill set. Best played at 6.
I agree, though, that Ireland has a problem with hookers: most of them are poor lineout throwers. That’s why McCarthy has been promoted – certainly more accurate that the other options in the Autumn series and, honestly, Kelleher has a problem with accuracy.
@PatN: hes a flanker, i think Evan O’Connell is the better long term bet
@PatN: All world class hookers on there day no worry what so ever
@PatN: he hasn’t been fit for more than 4 games a seasons
@Owen ODonoghue: so is OMahony but didn’t stop him dominating in this area for years
A lot of people like to jump on the James ryan hate bandwagon as a reason for Irelands bad lineout but the truth is it’s operated by a number of players. The hooker has a key role in being able to find his man, often times I see nalls thrown in and it goes straight over Ryan or Beirnes head or it’s not straight. The layout of the jumpers and the various calls means everybody has a responsibility to be int he right place. Against New Zealand, Tupou Vaa’i disrupted Irelands ball on numerous occasions and the same thing happened after Ryan went off. With 3 tall men at 6ft’ 6 plus Doris at 6ft 4’ there absolutely no reason for us to be remotely bad in that area. O’Mahony has obviously steered the ship in that area for a long time but he offers nothing anywhere else now. If we don’t fix it very soon then they could get themselves into serious trouble against top teams. Maybe they need no coaching personal in that department, as O’Connell has been with them now 3 years going on 4 in 2025 and the lineout has certainly not being an area of real strength for us.
@Harry O’ Callaghan: we’ll know even more after our 6n’s opener v England. They have as good a defensive lineout as there is. We better have sorted out our issues or it could we’ll lose us this match.
@Harry O’ Callaghan: people also like to gloss over that the lineout has only truly fallen apart since Beirne started calling it. Pre World Cup it was either Ryan or Henderson who would, and it ran pretty smoothly.
Unsurprisingly Munster’s lineout, again with Beirne as caller, is also woeful.
@teuO6nLS: @J P Ke: Great point. I forgot to mention that, Ryan has been instrumental to us in recent years particularly in the lineout, the New Zealand tour we had no issue there, 6 nations too. And all the years before that Ryan has been solid in almost every department. I think he’s just used as a scapegoat as he doesn’t do the flashy work but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a forward bit a ruck as hard Uias he does. He’s phenomenal in that area and in defence in general. He’s become consistent again imo. Looks very fit and strong and I thought had a good Autumn Internationals. There’s obviously some sort of confusion regarding the changing of the gaurd, per day, as O’Mahony is fizzling out. Whilst McCarthy is full of energy and athleticism, he’s still relatively young and inexperienced. Ryan hasn’t gotten almost 70 caps by the age of 28 for just being mediocre. He played his first international game at 19 before he was capped for Leinster so he’s vastly experienced. Beirne is being swapped back and forth between 2nd row and backrow which definitely doesn’t help, and I think naturally he’s more of playmaker rather than a breakdown defence leader. Doris’ role is to mainly carry the ball and JVDF isn’t a lineout jumper. Sheehan is also out and they’ve had to rely on Kelleher who doesn’t look like he’s been 100% fit. A few tweaks and I’m sure things will settle down for the 6 nations
@Harry O’ Callaghan: Well said im a huge fan off ryan when we went on a unbeaten run he was world class agree with his ruck speed and toughness people seem to forget how good he is
@Harry O’ Callaghan: a lot of teams are figuring out how irelands play. O Connell has been with the the forwards 3 years and the scrum is still solid, the lineout is poor but the maul has improved massively over that period. Playing Ryan and Joe gives us a lack of a lineout specialist
Van Der Flier needs to start throwing the ball in again.
Best we have!
Iv noticed that our lineout doesn’t have a lot of movement meaning opposition are able to guess fairly regularly and get their lifters ahead of our own lifters
@Scott: we don’t seem to vary our lineouts as much as some, with quick throws to the front, or over the top. Even reducing the numbers to 4 or 5?
@Scott: That could be an issue alright. With all of the jusseling back and forth and still arriving at the same ‘few’ persons doesn’t require a PHD to work out. What we don’t see sufficient use of is short throws to the nearest in the lineout. It happens, but not often enough that when we throw long it becomes a surprise – we invariably throw long.
@brian o’leary: I was listening to a podcast and ire didn’t steal a single opposition lineout during the Nov series whilst we lost 11 of 61, plus a lot more that were nearly lost resulting in slow ball or a strike move breaking down. I was wondering why we don’t do reduced lineouts then I thought maybe we don’t have a quick jumper who can beat the opposition in the air. I wonder if u go for a tom ahern with his 6 9 frame. I know he has a lot to prove but if it increase our success at lineout like dev toner then it might be worth it
@Scott: Careful which podcasts you listen to! Or watch the games more closely? Off the top of my head, Izzy stole one against Fiji. And Deegan is the standout in the lineout, not Ahern. Size isn’t everything.
@Scott: there’s enough tall men there to do the job, POM being the shortest? I think the problem is elsewhere, but we do have a problem, if o’connel AND Easterby can’t sort it by this 6 nations that’s where I’d make the change.
@Justin Robinson: deegan is great in the lineout as well as having great hands/link play out wide but doesn’t have the grunt to be an international 6.
@Justin Robinson: thought the same, Ryan definitely got a couple as well. It was the independent podcast so game everything they say with a tonne of salt. They were even claiming Ryan had been dropped in the world cup quarter final when he’d a broken wrist so couldn’t play
@teuO6nLS: Yeah, just listened to it. Will Slattery said he’d heard or read it somewhere else but he should have fact-checked it before putting it out there. Such is the danger of pods and social media I guess. Luckily, there are some of us out there to set things straight! Madigan on the sister pod offers more insight in ten seconds than Luke Fitz does in an hour of waffle.
I think that our hookers and line out allow the gap to be closed in a lot of games. I noticed when Healy came on v Australia he complained that the gap was closed and the ref insisted that the gap was in force thereafter. Our leaders need to be more vocal to officials in this regard.
One wonders if Bernard Jackman has watched much club rugby recently – has he really never heard of Max Deegan!!!