Ireland prop Jack McGrath is confident Ireland can overcome Italy’s threat in the scrum in the RBS 6 Nations on Saturday in Rome.
The Leinster player was named in the Ireland side this morning and will come up against what McGrath sees is an Italian side at their most dangerous.
McGrath, like many of his team-mates in the past week, has offered a reminder of Ireland’s last match in Rome where they suffered a shock defeat, and said they need to focus on the task at hand to avoid a repeat result.
He told RTÉ Sport: “It's always exciting to go over to Rome, to go off to tough opposition. They're going to be really up for it. They are always really passionate.
“For us, it's a big focus because last time we were over there we lost.
“We know they are at their strongest in the first game of the competition. Especially at home they will be very dangerous.
“Their scrum and their maul are two aspects which they have always been strong in throughout the years. There has definitely been a focus this week on our scrum and our lineout maul.
“If we can take them on there from the start and take away their confidence in that area, then we are one step to securing the victory. But saying it and doing it is two different things.”
“The standard is being driven by the players, it's really taken out of the coaches' hands at this stage.”
Ireland go into the game on a high after a 100% record in the November internationals and are aiming to win back-to-back Six Nations crowns ahead of the World Cup.
With an aim of improving on the past 12 months, McGrath said that Ireland are exploring every avenue to better their game and are making life difficult when it comes to team selection for Schmidt, as exemplified today.
McGrath said: “At this level there is always areas to be improved upon. It even comes down to lifts in lineouts or your foot positioning in a scrum. For us, our week has been very good. We haven't been together too long so we are keeping things simple, going out there and everyone is trying to do their jobs.
“With the group of players Italy have, they can really play some good rugby so they are going to want to show that they are well in with a chance of beating the holders of the trophy and going on and having their best representative in the competition.
“The standard is being driven by the players, it's really taken out of the coaches' hands at this stage. It's really what you want in a squad. New guys coming in have to switch in pretty quickly to what is needed to play for this team which is great. It brings out the best in every player.”
