“We are very lucky to have him” – John Fogarty praises Andrew Porter after epic shift

The Ireland scrum coach was delighted with the prop's big shift.

Ireland scrum coach John Fogarty has heaped praise on Andrew Porter after his incredible performance led Ireland to victory over South Africa on Saturday evening. While the world champions threw the kitchen sink at Andy Farrell's men, the Irish came out on top after a mammoth effort, with Andrew Porter at the centre of things with a huge 75-minute performance.

John Fogarty full of praise for Andrew Porter.

Joining the Irish media for an early morning press conference, Fogarty called Porter "immense" and praised his hardworking performance.

“Andrew was absolutely immense, across the pitch. To do what he did at scrum-time and set-piece is one thing and something he can be very proud of. But to back it up around the field – his defence was excellent, his ability to get off the ground and give people energy. He took a few carries that he needed to make metres in and worked unbelievably hard through those carries. We are very lucky to have him. He is a resilient guy, he has real physicality and a huge engine and appetite for the game. He is working really well with the team at the moment.”

Fogarty also praised the general scrum effort, especially the "half-time reset of mentality" after some parts of the scrum came undone before the break.

"I was very proud of the lads. Like the game itself, it was such small margins. There were times when we felt in control and times when we were under pressure. We had a good plan and the height we scrummaged off, we were very connected with dealing with that weight. Just before half-time, I could see some movement left and the scrum creaked a little bit. At half-time there was a reset of mentality, going back and understanding the plan."

John Fogarty praises Ireland's second-half mentality.

Fogarty noted that the ability to stay composed under immense pressure was the most pleasing element to Ireland's game for him, saying that "the lads stayed clear in their heads as to what the plan was. We managed to fight back in the second half." Another element of approval was the impact from Ireland's bench, when there was so much talk about South Africa's seven-one split.

“Without a doubt, their plan works well for them and they brought energy onto the field. But I thought our boys were excellent. Iain Henderson showed real composure and shored things up massively across the set-piece and did a great job, and the rest of the boys as well – Finlay [Bealham], ‘Killer’ [Dave Kilcoyne], Dan Sheehan…the lot of then, not just to fit in but add to the energy and composure. We have developed a full squad. There were guys sitting in the crowd that would have been eager to get on and would have done a good job too.”

Ireland can now relax ahead of their rest week after an almighty effort on Saturday night. With the celebrations over for now, complete focus will now move to what's ahead of them when they face Scotland on Saturday, October 7.

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