'He's like Papa Scrums to me' - Tadhg Furlong speaks of respect for All Blacks coach Greg Feek

While the Irish scrum is going through a difficult period, you don't have to go back far to find a time when the Irish set-piece was rock solid.

The irony of the current situation is that the men who turned Ireland's scrum fortunes around in the previous decade are now the ones masterminding their downfall.

First it was John Plumtree who solidified Ireland's problems at the scrum in 2013, and when he left Greg Feek took over. By the time Feek departed his role in 2019, Ireland's scrum was one of the most consistent in the game.

Both men now wear All Blacks tracksuits, with Plumtree the forwards coach under Ian Foster, while Feek's work with Ireland saw him headhunted to work the same role in his native New Zealand.

And although both men had to sit out of the All Blacks' training camp last week having tested positive for Covid-19, they made Ireland pay at the scrum in Saturday's first Test in Auckland, with Andy Farrell's side winning just three of six on their own put-in.

Feek, in particular, was instrumental to the development of Tadhg Furlong, now among the very best tightheads in the game

"He's obviously had a huge influence for me, he's like 'Papa Scrums' to me," Furlong told RTÉ Sport about his relationship with his former coach, who he worked with for both province and country.

"I would have come through Leinster, he was scrum coach and transitioned to scrum coach in Ireland. He's put a big body of work into me through developmental years.

"Obviously I have a huge amount of respect for him, and would share through knowing the man, and being taught by him, and discussions with him, a lot of the same ideas around the scrum."

Issues at the scrum have troubled both Ireland and Leinster in recent months, as they iron out the