Ryan Baird won't hear a bad word about Paul O’Connell and insists it's up to the Ireland players to fix their lineout woes.
Former Munster, Ireland and British and Irish Lions captain O'Connell joined the IRFU’s coaching staff in 2021 and helped the team to a series win in New Zealand in 2022, and back-to-back Six Nations titles in 2023 and 2024.
In his playing days he was the complete lineout guru, barking instructions on the ground and dominating the air as club and country prospered.
Ireland’s lineout return statistics have fluctuated noticeably in the last three years.
For example, the win over South Africa in the 2023 World Cup came despite six lost lineouts.
The 2024 Six Nations campaign saw a 91% success rate, while that dropped to 79% from the shared Test series against the Springboks that summer.
Last springtime, Andy Farrell’s side twice recorded 100% returns against unchallenging English and Italian sides, but lost four of ten against Scotland.
The issues are embellished when Ireland lose their opening lineouts in such chaotic looking scenarios, as they did against both New Zealand and Japan.
On those occasions the lineout improved in the second half, demonstrating an ability to problem-solve on the go, a much-cherished virtue.
O’Connell won’t be happy with his department’s numbers but Baird, who has been excelling on opposition ball and securing a good chunk of Irish throws, was quick to defend his coach.
"Who’s been criticising Paul in this room?" he asks with a mischievous smile and then thanks one brave soul who puts his hand up before the reporter clarifies that it’s "never criticisms, observations, big difference".
"Paul’s brilliant, Paul’s amazing, it's on us as players to do a better job to execute," continues Baird.
"He doesn't put a foot wrong, he's so meticulous in his detail, his plan.
"I was meeting with him [Monday] night at half-eight, as we were looking at lineout defence with Cian [Prendergast] and James [Ryan].
"It's an absolute privilege to work with him, so I won't have a bad word said about him please."
Earlier in the press briefing in Dublin 15, Baird, one of the more naturally engaging Irish rugby professionals, was asked if their mantra about 'small fixes’ still stands the test of time, given how prolonged the issues have prevailed.
"What do mean a couple of years?" the 26-year-old (above) asks.
"I wouldn’t say there’s anything major to fix. Just need to listen better," he smiles.
"The crowd were quite noisy, y’know, at a couple of those lineouts, which was great.
"We keep asking them to be as loud and challenge us to hear. But I just see it as a short-term fix. I wouldn’t look too far or too deep into it.
"We actually keep it quite simple in here.
"I don't know if you think that or see that, but we do kind of live by that mantra.
"We try to keep it simple and focus on what we call ‘max drill’.
"So if the throw and the lift and the jump are at 100% , no matter what the type of defence is we should be able to win the ball.
"That‘s kind of how we kind of go about lineouts.
"Of course, each team, you have to have some movement that will manoeuvre their defensive system.
But, yeah, it is a balance between… again, if it's something you enjoy so much, you want to kind of evolve it and try and manipulate it but sometimes simple is best.
"So it's finding the balance."
Baird, winning his 32nd cap, today starts his fifth Ireland game in a row at 6, now partnering with Caelan Doris and Jack Conan at 7 and 8, respectively.
His performances since the end of last season when he started Leinster’s last six games in the URC has made him Ireland’s standout back row.
"I think I've said it in the media (before) but it’s just letting go of the mistakes and trying to control the game, to control parts of my game, y’know?" he replies when asked the key to his run of form.
"There's so many moments in the game that you have zero control over, and there's certain things you can control: your effort, your want to play the way the team wants to play.
"I've just focused harder on that and let go of mistakes during the game (and) realised that the mistakes I'm making are me on my path to maximising my potential.
"Still to this day, mistakes will get to me. It’s just having the ability to come back to the moment that’s important, which is the one that I’m about to partake in."
Listen to the RTÉ Rugby podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Watch Ireland v Australia in the Quilter Nations Series from 7pm on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on the RTÉ News App and on rte.ie/sport. Listen to live commentary on RTÉ Radio 1
Win tickets to see England V Ireland at Twickenham Stadium next year & MORE...
