Former stars weigh in on 'regressed' Ireland

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Former Ireland internationals Stephen Ferris and Jamie Heaslip share mixed views on the national team’s progression following a third-place Six Nations finish.

Ireland brought down the curtain on their Six Nations title defence on Saturday with a 22-17 bonus-point victory over Italy in Rome. Ferris, speaking as an analyst on RTÉ Sport, was blunt in his assessment.

“I’ve got to say, they’ve regressed a little bit over the Six Nations,” the ex-Ireland and Ulster flanker said. “You expect them to get better, game in, game out, and they haven’t. They really struggled [against Italy].”

“Teams are putting it up to them, getting into their faces defensively. Their attack hasn’t been functioning as well,” he added.

“Are they a possession-based team? Are they moving more towards the Leinster style of kicking the ball more and trying to put pressure with their defence?

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"I think they’re in the middle ground somewhere and they’ve got to figure it out.”

Heaslip, however, argued that Ireland hadn't necessarily regressed but had instead stagnated.

“I actually think they’ve plateaued,” the former No 8 said. “They haven’t gone forward, they haven’t gone back. And that’s dangerous in sport, because the minute you plateau, everyone else passes you out.

“France are not waiting for Ireland to catch up with them. They’re going to keep ploughing on.”

Heaslip also raised concerns about the squad's ageing core and the need for fresh talent. “We need to bring a group of players through and play to our strengths, not try and do a 6/2 [bench split] and be forced to play a different game.”

Photo: Seb Daly/Sportsfile via Getty Images

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