Ulster hooker Rob Herring has insisted that Ireland can bounce back after losing 18-9 in the first of three Tests against Australia.
Joe Schmidt's side, who had won their previous 12 Test matches, move to Melbourne ahead of the second Test and Herring is confident the Grand Slam champions can improve going into the next two matches.
“There was a fair bit of disappointment in the changing room. Joe came in and said we have some good things to work on now. That's the beauty of it, it's a three-Test series and we've just got to get better now.
“We've got to improve on the things that we let ourselves down with and move on. We need to convert pressure into points - we had a couple of good opportunities in their 22 and just coughed the ball up for one reason or another. I think that’s the key thing for us, converting those opportunities.
“We have to be confident, we’ve been building for a long time.”
Australia’s well-structured defence, coupled with some uncharacteristic errors from the Irish attack, meant the visitors failed to score a single try in what was a hugely physical encounter.
“Defensively, they put us under a lot of pressure,” said Herring. “They came out firing with a good defensive line, some good hits and I guess we just coughed up the ball a few times which was what they were trying to do with that defensive pressure.
“We struggled to get our way into the game from there, we did hang on for a bit but I felt like Australia were always in the ascendancy.
“We knew coming into the game that any sort of loose ball, they thrive on that. They’ve very dangerous players in the backs and it showed. They took their opportunities better than we did,” he concluded.
Herring and his provincial colleagues Iain Henderson, Jacob Stockdale and John Cooney, along with Ulster-bound back row Jordi Murphy, will all be hoping to be involved in the second test at AAMI Park in Melbourne this Saturday (kick off 11.05am UK/Irish time).
Joe Schmidt's side, who had won their previous 12 Test matches, move to Melbourne ahead of the second Test and Herring is confident the Grand Slam champions can improve going into the next two matches.
“There was a fair bit of disappointment in the changing room. Joe came in and said we have some good things to work on now. That's the beauty of it, it's a three-Test series and we've just got to get better now.
“We've got to improve on the things that we let ourselves down with and move on. We need to convert pressure into points - we had a couple of good opportunities in their 22 and just coughed the ball up for one reason or another. I think that’s the key thing for us, converting those opportunities.
“We have to be confident, we’ve been building for a long time.”
Australia’s well-structured defence, coupled with some uncharacteristic errors from the Irish attack, meant the visitors failed to score a single try in what was a hugely physical encounter.
“Defensively, they put us under a lot of pressure,” said Herring. “They came out firing with a good defensive line, some good hits and I guess we just coughed up the ball a few times which was what they were trying to do with that defensive pressure.
“We struggled to get our way into the game from there, we did hang on for a bit but I felt like Australia were always in the ascendancy.
“We knew coming into the game that any sort of loose ball, they thrive on that. They’ve very dangerous players in the backs and it showed. They took their opportunities better than we did,” he concluded.
Herring and his provincial colleagues Iain Henderson, Jacob Stockdale and John Cooney, along with Ulster-bound back row Jordi Murphy, will all be hoping to be involved in the second test at AAMI Park in Melbourne this Saturday (kick off 11.05am UK/Irish time).