World Cup Watch: Ireland
Tuesday 18 August 2015 10:32, UK
Shane Horgan, Paul Wallace and Rory Lawson pick their players to watch ahead of the 2015 World Cup.
Despite the close-fought nature of Ireland's 22-28 win over Scotland, it was two of the backs that caught the eye of our World Cup watch pundits.
Simon Zebo found himself lining up in the less familiar position of full-back against the Scots but this didn't stop the Munster flyer putting in a man-of the-match performance.
The 25-year-old got his name on the score sheet midway through the second half when an inside ball from Madigan opened the gap for Zebo under the posts.
Paul Wallace said: "His kicking game was very good. His kicking game with the big left boot is very important for the Irish team."
The second individual to gain the plaudits of the pundits was Ian Madigan.
The Leinster back stepped out of the shadow of Jonny Sexton to show his ability to be more than just an able deputy in the No 10 shirt.
In an Ireland-dominated first half Madigan controlled the show, but it was in the second half his vision came to the fore, setting up tries for Zebo and Fitzgerald.
For Rory Lawson it was this involvement for him that was stand out.
He said: "Ultimately, he was heavily involved in a lot of Ireland’s good attacking game particularly around a couple of the scores."
