Players will tell you they don't overburden themselves concentrating on their opposite numbers. Believing in their own ability, Conor Murray won't fret over Eoin Reddan or Luke McGrath. Rhys "if I'm picked" Ruddock won't agonise over what CJ Stander might do this weekend in Aviva.
Still, the rule of the jungle prevails. Damaging yardage is just that, damaging yardage and when it happens questions begin to arise. Why aren't Leinster players in similar positions doing the same? Why aren't they stopping him?
Ruddock comes into the match as the more experienced player with 10 Ireland caps, the South African-born flanker, with five caps and with a newly minted reputation as something of a flying fortress.
“Having been in the environment with him in Ireland over the past couple of weeks and seeing his performances . . . he’s a quality backrow,” says Ruddock. “Often we’d be fighting for a spot. It would be a good challenge to play against him.
“I think he has a real focus on getting his hands on the ball. I think he really backs himself to get the ball and you can tell he’s getting into position to carry nine times out of 10.
“Credit to him he shows up a lot around the back. Yeah, that’s what we are all trying to do as backrows and he’s good at it.”
It’s the eye-catching stuff that gets players noticed, the support play, getting to the breakdown and slowing down opposition ball worthy more than sexy. It lacks the pizzazz of bursting through a line of players and generating panic.
The first half of Ireland's final Six Nations match against Scotland in Dublin probably framed Stander's repertoire as well as any other 40 minutes he has played. Overall, he had 21 carries for 32 metres. Only the Irish backs ate up more ground than the 25-year-old and no Ireland player had more carries.
23 carries
Against Wales Stander’s 23 carries were the most for any Ireland player. Similarly against France his 19 topped the Irish carry list. In the game against England only
Jamie Heaslip
carried more with 10 to Stander’s nine and in the match against Italy only
Robbie Henshaw
took the ball more often, 16 times to 15 from the blindside flanker.
“You might be the person in behind being first to the breakdown, make sure the opposition backrow doesn’t get on the ball,” says Ruddock. “So there are lots of aspects both sides of the ball. He’s obviously a very good ball carrier and someone we need to be very well aware of as well as some of the other backrows, who are very dynamic and look to get their hands on the ball.
“It’s a big challenge for us defensively and something we’ve matched in the past. When we’ve let ourselves down those guys have dictated the tempo of the game and the way the game is played. For us it’s a big measure defensively if we can control guys like that.”
Disappointed faces
With Seán O’Brien out of the picture Heaslip, Josh van der Flier,
Jordi Murphy
,
Dan Leavy
,
Dominic Ryan
and Ruddock makes for a couple of disappointed faces when
Leo Cullen
picks his backrow players.
But Munster too have had to fill in around injury. Stander has impressively stood up with others like Robin Copeland, Tommy O'Donnell and Jack O'Donoghue weighing in.
"Peter O'Mahony has been a big loss but over time they've managed to fill the void," says Ruddock. "They've got a lot of quality. Jordan Coughlan who's left Leinster, he's done well. Jack O'Donoghue's had involvement with the Irish squad and he's someone who's really stepped up to the plate since Pete's injury. Obviously CJ and Robin Copeland.
“Backrow wise it’s probably a big test because of the emphasis they put on the breakdown.”
