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Stockdale: Ireland physicality taken to 'next level'
By Online Editors
Wing Jacob Stockdale felt Ireland took their physicality to a new level in their 24-14 bonus-point win over Wales in the Guinness Six Nations.
Tries by Jordan Larmour, Tadhg Furlong, Josh Van Der Flier and Andrew Conway saw Ireland home at the Aviva Stadium as they moved impressively towards a Twickenham appointment with England on February 22.
Andy Farrellâs team also remain on course for a Grand Slam, but reigning champions Walesâ hopes of a clean sweep are over after a deserved home win.
Stockdale told ITV: âItâs going to take a few weeks to get into the new structure of things, especially the new coaching ticket and new ideas, but I thought we did it really well today.
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âI think our physicality was brought to the next level and in all fairness to Wales, they came and they pushed us hard so it was just great to get the win.
âThey came and they fired a few shots early on and we know how good we can be when weâre all over our carrying and our break down and it just had to come throughout the game.
âOnce were started to do that the tries came and it was a really fun game to play in.â
Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones, whose side scored converted tries through Tomos Williams and Justin Tipuric, admitted it was tough to take positives from a game which ended in defeat.
âUltimately Test rugby is about winning isnât it?â Wyn Jones told ITV. âYou can have all the enterprise and all the beauty you like but ultimately itâs about the result.
âI think we probably gave them an opportunity in the first half, a couple of errors in particular, a couple of rucks potentially at crucial times.
âThere were a series of penalties we felt we should have got more from but we didnât.â
PA
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Latest Comments
David Kriel is an average player. Sure he has pace but isnt physical enough and doesnt have the skill set. Fouche is a decent player but lacks experience and Du Toit and Wilco Louw have the experience and the pedigree to take over from Koch and Malherbe. Du Toit can also pack down on both sides like Nyakane could so he is a natural fit. Hooker has real potential, he has pace and power and is a reliable tackler. He might be the most natural replacement for De Allende at 12 but is still nowhere near his level. He needs exposure and would agree with his selection so he can develop. Julius is such a talent but not ready for the big time. Throws too many wild passes and always goes for the offload. Great pace though and has a feel for space. Gumede drops the ball too much otherwise has pace and versatility and deserves a shot. JC Mars is not ready and needs to be nurtured. Hartzenberg deserves a look in as he is quite a versatile player and does alot well. He tackles well, runs well and passes well. Ruan Vermaak is ready, Nohamba is in between a 10 and a 9 but deserves a call up to prove his worth. Erasmus does have plenty of options
Go to commentsAB's not scared of the Boks at all. They know they can beat them anywhere in country. They will also know that the Springboks will be the biggest threat to their record. The Boks will also know that many of their players will be 1 year older this year. Will Frans Malherbe, De Allende, Kolisi, Etzebeth and several others still be as good as they were last year. Time will tell
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