Ex-Leinster, Connacht and Harlequins out half Andrew Dunne has narrowed down on one of the issues that held Ireland back in attack against Wales.
Speaking on Off The Ball in the wake of 22-9 Six Nations in which the lack of cutting edge in attack came under scrutiny, Dunne pointed out the role of forwards and feels it's a "simple fix" to recfity.
"I think we are almost exclusively a better attacking team when our first receiver off a breakdown is not a forward," he said.
"And we did that for the first 25 minutes in Scotland and we were very - that 'predictable' word - because we sent forwards in to collision situations and it's difficult for our forwards to dominate the collision situation, win the ruck or fill up a defensive position in the defensive line. And we're asking them to be a playmaker."
Dunne continued: "So why can't we ask some of our playmakers to go in and be the playmaker because for all I do think there is a bit of an over-reaction to Friday night's performance when you break it down and look at it, in the 33rd minute we're 6-3 up. Anything Wales have done has been based on our mistakes - one or two key mistakes - but between minute 33 and minute 43, three forwards either knocked on as the first receiver off a ruck or made a clanger of a pass - it was O'Brien, Heaslip and Furlong - and each one of those mistakes led either (1) to Sexton's yellow card and the other one led to their try. It was a 10 point turnaround. I think it's a simple fix. I really do."
He added that the line speed of the defence was "unbelievable" in the first 27 minutes.
"There wasn't a huge amount wrong other than our attack being first receiver's breakdown - as in the system breaking down - and the first receiver not being Johnny Sexton," he added.
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