Rory Keane reports from Cape Town EXPERIENCE AND FRESHNESS were key factors in Jared Payne’s selection at fullback for the opening Test against South Africa, says Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt. Payne has won all of his 14 Test caps at outside centre but, in the absence of Rob Kearney and Simon Zebo, Schmidt has … Continue reading "Payne’s ‘experience and freshness’ key to fullback call – Joe Schmidt"

THERE WAS A game-changing substitution midway through the second half of Ireland’s first test against South Africa. In the seven scrums prior to Tendai Mtawarira coming off just before the hour mark, it had been one-way traffic. On South Africa’s own feed, their three scrums had yielded a penalty, a penalty advantage (which led to … Continue reading "Analysis: Ireland’s scrum couldn’t live with the Beast as Boks brought back the hit"