Rugby

Iain Henderson is world class and Ultan Dillane will be incredible: Donnacha Ryan

Ultan Dillane (above) and Iain Henderson (below) have been praised by their Ireland team-mate Donnacha Ryan  
Ultan Dillane (above) and Iain Henderson (below) have been praised by their Ireland team-mate Donnacha Ryan   Ultan Dillane (above) and Iain Henderson (below) have been praised by their Ireland team-mate Donnacha Ryan  

“IAIN HENDERSON is world class and Ultan Dillane is going to be an incredible second-row for Ireland long into the future,” says Donncha Ryan. But not yet.

It’s the Munster man who holds on to the number four jersey for Saturday evening’s fiercely anticipated visit of the All Blacks to the Aviva Stadium for the first time in three years. Dillane’s man-of-the-match display against Canada might have thrown him closer to the reckoning had it not been for a knee injury that sidelines him.

When Ryan was named in the squad for last weekend, it perhaps suggested that he wasn’t top of the pecking order, but he retains his place alongside Devin Toner from the game in Chicago.

Given that the Irish lineout was such a considerable strength that evening, it’s no great surprise really, though tomorrow will be a different challenge altogether with the return of locks Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retallick to the New Zealand engine room.

“Brodie and Sam are back and I’ve played against the two of them before. When it comes to line-out, attack and defence both sides of the ball, obviously we put a bit of pressure on them the last time," he said.

“Without a doubt they’ll look to rectify that. They’re world class. Brodie has been World Player of the Year. It’s an enormous challenge. We’ll have to be on our games this weekend.”

Ireland’s emotional energy has often enabled them to push New Zealand to the very edge, and they had never been closer to tumbling over it than when they trailed 22-17 with 30 seconds to play in the Aviva three years ago.

Donnacha Ryan in action during the win over New Zealand in Chicago  
Donnacha Ryan in action during the win over New Zealand in Chicago   Donnacha Ryan in action during the win over New Zealand in Chicago  

But Ryan Crotty’s try and Aaron Cruden’s retaken conversion whipped history away. When they finally achieved that elusive first ever win two weeks ago, it came down to playing with as much head as heart.

“For the last game, and for this game, it’s detail-focused,” says Ryan.

“If you start to measure your performance on emotion, you are going to get those changes but it’s the detail, and the process, and how you execute that under pressure. The small margins in this game are enormous.

“A fingertip to a ball can be absolutely huge. That’s what a lot of these big games hinge on. I think if you do focus on the emotions a lot then you do have those massive swings, but I do think we’re in a good place to focus on the detail and try to execute them.”