Rúaidhrí O’Connor: What’s gone wrong with Irish lineouts – and the steps that can be taken to fix them

A once-great strength is now a perceived weakness that needs to be sorted

Killian Tixeront of ASM Clermont Auvergne and Joe McCarthy of Leinster contest a lineout during the Champions Cup match at the Aviva Stadium. Photo: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

You couldn’t think of two better men to fix Ireland’s lineout issues. As players, Paul O’Connell and Leo Cullen were students of the set-piece who have developed into leading coaches, yet here we are in 2024 with the two men presiding over a set-piece that is under pressure and undermining the teams they’re involved with.

As Ireland forwards coach, O’Connell has direct responsibility for the lineout, whereas Leinster head coach Cullen delegates that to Robin McBryde, who was Wales forwards coach for a decade and was on the last Lions tour.