Best wants Irish scrum protected

Rory Best wants Ireland’s squeaky-clean scrummaging record to be “protected” by the officials in today’s Natwest Six Nations clash with Wales in Dublin.

Captain Best admitted he and boss Joe Schmidt will reiterate Ireland’s desire to scrummage “as legally as anyone can” to referee Glen Jackson before the Wales encounter.

Ireland head coach Schmidt this week claimed Wales loosehead Rob Evans “is a tricky customer, the angles and stepping around”, and skipper Best has upped the ante by asserting the hosts’ plans for best behaviour at the set-piece.

“We pride ourselves on how we scrummage and how we try to be effective, but we try to scrum square and

IRELAND

V WALES

scrum legally – or as legally as anyone can,” said Best. “I know the coaches will be talking to [the referee]. And that will be our simple message before the game: that we have shown in the past that we want to scrummage straight and we do scrummage straight, and we scrum legally.

“And all we ask is for that to be respected, and I suppose protected.”

Ireland must face Wales without injured British and Irish Lions trio Tadhg Furlong, Iain Henderson and Robbie Henshaw.

Alun Wyn Jones says Wales will take little notice of the Irish absentees as they look to mark head coach Warren Gatland’s 100th Test at the helm in style.

“There are obviously a few forced changes, but they are at home so it’s going to be a tough test whatever Irish side we face,” Wales captain Jones said.