Ruddock ready for ‘physical’ Georgia

Editor

Ireland flanker Rhys Ruddock expects another physical battle when his side take on Georgia in Dublin on Saturday.

Ireland flanker Rhys Ruddock expects another physical battle when his side take on Georgia in Dublin on Saturday.

Ruddock was a late addition to Ireland’s starting line-up against the Springboks last weekend – after Chris Henry withdrew due to a severe migraine on the morning of the Test – and made full use of his opportunity by scoring the first try in his side’s 29-15 victory.

The Boks are renowned for their physicality and Ruddock believes they will face a similar challenge against Georgia’s pack this weekend.

“They want to get up, meet you head on and win the physical battle,” he said.

“They’ve got some real threats on the ball who can punish you if you don’t get your roles right.

“You have to meet it head on in the early stages of the game, don’t let them build confidence in their perceived strength and after that hopefully have some ways to work outside of those lines and try to create a bit of space elsewhere.

“Hopefully we’ll have some ways to break them down. If you’re just going to run straight and hard at them all day, they’ll be well able to defend.

“We need to come up with some ways to create some space.”

Ruddock has experience of playing against Georgia as he captained Emerging Ireland to victory against them in the 2013 Tbilisi Cup.

“That was a great experience,” he said.

“The Georgia one was a great win for us. We managed to perform well.

“It was a real physical encounter and probably our toughest game of the tournament, against a Georgian team who have a lot of pride in playing for their country and a lot of pride in being a physical outfit who can take anyone on, especially up front.”