Noel McNamara and Bernard Jackman believe Ireland should trust in Sam Prendergast's defence for Saturday’s crucial Guinness Six Nations meeting with France at the Aviva Stadium.
The out-half has impressed in attack and with his kicking game across his six Test caps since last November, although there has been scrutiny around his physicality in defence, with 15 missed tackles across the three games of this championship.
That area of his game has received increased scrutiny since Ireland’s win against Wales in round three, with Ireland’s next opponents ranking highest for clean breaks, with an average of just under 11 per game.
There have been suggestions that Ireland should look to keep the out-half in wider channels on defensive sets to protect Prendergast, particularly off set-pieces where France are likely to go after the Irish out-half with their big ball-carriers.
However, Bordeaux-Begles attack coach McNamara doesn't believe that should be an option.
"The reality is Josh [van der Flier] will be on his inside, Bundee [Aki] will be on his outside. Sometimes it’s almost better because you know where they’re going to attack.
"Josh can get on the ball, slow it down and there’s almost a little bit of comfort in knowing where they’re going to go.
"It’s very clear, he’s had a fantastic year, I think he’s a fantastic player and prospect.
"Some of it [the coverage] is probably a little bit over the top. I think the balance is always the key. I’ve often said the only guarantee with young tens is they’re going to make mistakes.
"The one thing I really like about Sam is when he does make a mistake, he never shies away, he always fronts up, it never seems to have a negative impact on him. He’s had a good Six Nations, it’s as simple as that."
Jackman joined McNamara on this week’s podcast, and agreed that "hiding" a player in wider channels has the potential to cause even bigger defensive issues.
"Every team tests out that [defensive] seam anyway," he said.
"It's the quickest way to the gameline. I don't know if Ireland will try and hide him like we see sometimes, putting a 10 in the channel.
"I just think they will be very aware of the need to double-team when people go after him.
"Sam is very brave, he’s throwing himself at people, he’s been caught as a bit of a speed-bump at times, but it’s very difficult at international rugby to hide someone.
"They’ll just be very focused on having nice support inside and outside and making sure that if there is a dent, that it’s not catastrophic."
A win for Ireland this weekend would leave them a runaway favourite to secure their third title in a row, a defeat would almost certainly end their chances of retaining the Six Nations, putting France into the driving seat.
And McNamara, who has been with Bordeaux in the Top14 since 2023 and recently signed a contract extension until 2027, says that head coach Fabien Galthie is coming under pressure to end Ireland’s dominance of the championship.
"It’s fascinating, the feeling in France is that this is it for Galthie. They need to win, they need to win the Six Nations, they need to start winning trophies," added McNamara, whose Bordeaux stars Matthieu Jalibert, Damian Penaud, Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Yoram Moefana are likely to be involved on Saturday.
"This is considered the golden generation They’ve won numerous U20 World Cups, they have a depth of talent coming through, he’s got an unprecedented level of support from the clubs, to the extent that in the fallow weeks of the Six Nations, the capacity to protect 19 players. There’s a training squad of 42 players.
"This is probably the most support that there has ever been given to a French team, the agreement was signed before the World Cup, but they’ve managed to keep that agreement in place.
"There certainly has been some teething issues in terms of the new coaching staff and how they gel together, but ultimately there’s pressure on them and on their coach to deliver."
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Watch Ireland v France in the Six Nations on Saturday from 1.15pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app. Listen to live commentary with Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1.
