Ronan Kelleher's quality performance underlines competition at hooker
Ronan Kelleher admitted the win over Wales might not have been the prettiest, neatest game of rugby - especially when compared to the win over England.But Ireland's hour-long war of attrition, the physical force of going after Wales again and again paid dividends, a ten point victory, a bonus-point and the opposition finishing with 14 men."We did a lot of good things, got into the right areas, we just didn't come away with the tries that affected us at the time," said the hooker."But I think for us, we were just trying to pound the rock and I think that pressure kind of held, kind of stuck."We're obviously really looking forward to next week now, we've put ourselves in a good position to win that Triple Crown."Kelleher put in an outstanding performance, he was Ireland's standout defender and the best carrier of the front-five on a day when the lineout was 100 percent successful.Yet he accepts there will be some work-ons ahead of the Triple Crown showdown with Scotland game next Saturday."We were a little bit inaccurate at times, especially in the 22, at converting that kind of pressure to points but all credit to them, they obviously defended really well, got some crucial poaches at some crucial times."We kind of built up a bit of a score and managed to convert that pressure to points."It was good for us in the long run, they were kind of absorbing that pressure, and then in the end, it kind of told in the last 20 minutes that they were defending for long periods in their line."It is hard to draw a line from England through to Wales."We probably didn't hit the same level but I suppose every test match is different, has different challenges."It's very easy to get lulled into a false sense that you're going to show up and do a job, which will never, ever be the case, especially in this competition."It was a very dogged, very tough test match. They were never going to sit down and just take a beating. They were always going to fight, which they obviously showed out there."In the England match, we were unbelievably clinical and ruthless in that first half."Moreover, and for this group, the disappointment of the France game hasn't gone away entirely."There's a bit of internal pressure really. I wanted it to go well. I wanted to obviously put my best foot forward. It's more internal than anything else."So overall, we were very happy to get the win and the bonus points, considering how difficult the test match was."So happy we got over the line and got the balance point, which is the most important thing. It keeps us alive."Click here to sign up to our sport newsletter, bringing you the top stories and biggest headlines from Ireland and beyond
