To beat South Africa's rush defence, Ronan O'Gara believes Ireland need to "go through it" rather than around it. The two sides meet this Saturday night in a crucial Rugby World Cup pool B game.
"An awful lot of people try to go around it," O'Gara said in an interview with Jim Hamilton on the Rugbypass YouTube channel.
"There's a complete misunderstanding, I think, of what you are trying to achieve. For me, the key to playing against a rush defence is you've got to attack flailing arms and that's a skill in itself because if you run into bodies, you're tackled behind the gain line and the ball is going to be held up. Ruck speed will be four or five seconds.
"If you can identify opportunities for late footwork at the line into flailing arms, the capacity for high shots, which nowadays is a red card or a yellow card on an average occasion...
5 November 2022; Garry Ringrose of Ireland is tackled by Jaden Hendrikse and Kurt-Lee Arendse of South Africa during the Bank of Ireland Nations Series match between Ireland and South Africa at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
"Footwork and fend at the line and short passes, everyone tries to play long pass, long pass; if you play long pass, long pass against South Africa, they will eat you up with salt. It's exactly what they're looking for.
"What you need to do is reduce the space between nine and your first receiver. Reduce your space [from first receiver to second receiver].
"You've got to know that if you can get accuracy on that second pass... Nine to ten, ten to Bundee Aki or Ringrose, and there's potential the shooter will come on him.
"[The Irish player] will not have the capacity to [take two steps] and make a long pass. He might get hit ball and all but [the Irish player] might be able to tip [pass]. Because we've tried to go through them, we've taken seven defenders [out]. That's my theory on it."
O'Gara believes that Ireland can win the World Cup.
"I do think they can," he said.
"The key for Ireland is what their injury profile is going to be like in three or four games time, and how do they excel in the discipline stakes, how they manage cards.
"Whatever day it is, one to ten wins you a World Cup. For me, I am absolutely convinced. You don't need a 15-man game. You need one to ten humming and then everything else is a bonus.
9 September 2023; Tadhg Furlong of Ireland offloads to teammate James Ryan despite the attempts of Jason Tomane of Romania during the 2023 Rugby World Cup Pool B match between Ireland and Romania at Stade de Bordeaux in Bordeaux, France. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
"What Ireland are doing extremely well at the minute is that you have, for example, Kelleher, Porter, Furlong, all threats and all capable of playing the ball. James Ryan, McCarthy, Henderson, O'Mahony, Van der Flier, Doris, their skills are underappreciated. If they were in an All Black jersey, we be all [praising them].
"They are all good decision-makers, as opposed to just having your ten and 12 as decision-makers. Ireland, as you see with their phase game, it's very rare they score in the corner. We're going through teams now and it's impressive to watch."
Whichever side emerges victorious between Ireland and South Africa on Saturday is likely to face New Zealand in the quarter-finals and avoid hosts France.
"My one strong point in this World Cup is avoid France," said the La Rochelle head coach.
"I think I'm pretty well placed to comment on them and understand them. You got a taste of it on opening night where they were bang average for 40 minutes and then they have this capacity to take their game to a level I think no one else has.
"There's no one on any team like Dupont. For me, he's ten points to France every game. He's too good. I've analysed him in depth. You try to understand how you coach and limit him but he becomes such an enigma, an anomaly, when he doesn't have the ball.
8 September 2023; Antoine Dupont of France kicks clear during the 2023 Rugby World Cup Pool A match between France and New Zealand at the Stade de France in Paris, France. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile
"For example, the opposition have the ball and they're going. Suddenly, there's a knock on or there's a slap of a hand and the ball bounces, he's like a magnet. Then he has the freakish strength of a front row and back row, the fend of a centre, and he has the speed of a winger, and he has the smarts of a ten and he's gone.
"I hate him, obviously, because he's from Toulouse and he's so good and has caused me a lot of hurt but I admire everything in this rugby player. He's beyond a freak. He would deflate a nation. He is Zidane for this team."
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