IRELAND HAVE A tough assignment with Tonga to contend with in the meantime, but having had our first glimpse of South Africa on Sunday, The 42′s Rugby Weekly Extra podcast found itself peering forward to the 23 September clash between Andy Farrell’s Grand Slam champions and the reigning world champions in Paris.
Exclusively for The 42 subscribers, Bernard Jackman and Murray Kinsella joined Gavan Casey on Monday, fresh off the back of their respective exploits in France over the weekend.
During a portion of the podcast in which Jackman and Kinsella dissected Ireland’s victory over Romania in Bordeaux, presenter Casey relayed to them a question from listener Ed Wilson who asked if Leinster lock Joe McCarthy was on course to feature against South Africa in two weekends’ time.
Former Ireland international Jackman responded with his thoughts not only on Ireland’s second-row selection for their showdown with the Springboks, but on what he believes would constitute an Ireland pack best suited to overcome Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber’s side in their pivotal Pool B clash.
“Joe McCarthy is making a good push,” Jackman began. “He’d have to be very good against Tonga. Murray did a great piece on him over the weekend and he’s certainly a player who’s going to have an impact for Ireland.
“But I would trust Iain Henderson to have a massive game against the Boks.
“He gives you that profile that Joe has. He does move, as well: Henderson is what we hope Joe becomes, to be fair — at least in my opinion.
So, against the Boks, I would go James Ryan, Henderson, Tadhg Beirne at six, Peter O’Mahony at seven, and Caelan Doris at eight.
Jackman noted that South Africa’s 18-3 victory over Scotland on Sunday reiterated the reality that, in order to overcome the reigning world champions, Ireland will require players “who refuse to take a backwards step, who get under the skin of the Boks”, and that they will need to select their “most abrasive pack”.
Qualifying his suggestion that Ireland should start without the 2022 World Player of the Year, Josh van der Flier, Jackman stressed that the Leinster back row is plenty combative. He added, however, that Peter O’Mahony is “just different”, particularly at lineout time where Jackman believes Ireland must find a way to thwart South Africa at source in two Saturdays’ time.
You’ve gotta be able to rob some of their lineout ball. You don’t want to be defending mauls and losing your legs. Pete gives you that. Tadhg gives you that as well.
“I would have Joe [McCarthy] on the bench to come on for Henderson,” Jackman continued. “But I thought Hendo got through that Italy game pretty well considering he hadn’t played for a long time. And the South Africa game is going to be five, six weeks later, so consider all of the conditioning [that Henderson will have had in the intervening weeks]. And also, Hendo can call a lineout.
“Massive game — I just think it’s a little bit early for Joe. That’s my opinion.
“In fairness to Andy Farrell, he’s been able to get the best out of those older players — whether it’s Conor Murray, whether it’s Pete, whether it’s Johnny Sexton… And I think Hendo has a big role to play in that game.
“If you play New Zealand in a quarter-final, maybe it’d be Tadhg Beirne and James Ryan with Pete at six and Josh at seven. But for the Boks game, for the moment, it’d be James Ryan and Iain Henderson in the second row for me.”
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