Joe Schmidt has urged those worried about Ireland's attacking play to do some more homework ahead of Ireland's Six Nations clash with Scotland this weekend.
The Irish attack has been criticised in recent times for being slightly one dimensional and relying on the ability break sides down by attacking through the centre with forwards in an attritional manner, but the Irish boss disagrees with that assessment.
Speaking at Carton House during the pre-match press conference, Schmidt said those worried that Ireland's attack doesn't go out wide and to the backs enough need to look at the games they've played a little closer.
"I'd probably challenge people to do a little bit more homework, and probably not follow the lead of someone who statistically doesn't balance up with what's said. I think there was some really good tight play and some stuff that went through the middle, but there was some stuff down the edges as well. Keith Earls' line break, Johnny's line break, Jacob Stockdale in the corner. That certainly wasn't a one pass play, it's two of the best passes you'll see in world rugby".
"I think we've got to keep that variety to our game, and I think at this stage we've probably made the third most offloads. It's an area where people have loved to beat us with a stick, and it's probably overlooked by people that there is some continuity through our play".
One player who may help the perceived lack of attack through the backline is the recently returned Garry Ringrose. Injuries to Robbie Henshaw and Chris Farrell mean that Ringrose will step into the no.13 jersey against Scotland despite only returning from a lengthy absence himself, with the Leinster man having only played six games so far this season.
When questioned whether this was a concern, Schmidt said that it wasn't ideal, but the side has to cope with injuries to important players and the team have confidence in Ringrose's ability to step straight in and perform at the highest level.
"There's always concerns about players for different reasons, and I think Gary's only had six games in this entire season so that's something that you calculate in. At the same time sometimes you don't always have the luxury of a plethora of options. I think Garry Ringrose has been extraordinary when he has played for us, he's done an incredible job.
"It's a needs must situation, but it's a situation where we've got a lot of trust and faith in Garry".
"We're hoping he can hit the ground running and get straight back into the form. He's a smart player, hopefully that allows him to keep a balance between when he has to work hard and when he can just regenerate a little bit on the pitch and that will allow him to extend his match minutes to 80 quality minutes for us".
Vodafone are Official sponsors of the Irish Rugby team. We all belong to the Team of Us.
Off The Ball went live from Buccaneers rugby club in Athlone this week with special guest Eddie O'Sullivan. To listen to the chat check out the podcast below, or follow this link to find the rest of Off The Ball's podcast content.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
