'Ringrose is the glue' - O'Sullivan on Irish defensive issues in Rome

Eddie O'Sullivan believes Ireland's patchy performance in Rome on Saturday highlighted the importance of Garry Ringrose to the team's defensive shape.

Ireland maintained their push for a Grand Slam with a 34-20 win over an improved Italian side at the weekend but conceded two first half tries, with O'Sullivan and Darren Cave, on RTÉ's Against the Head, flagging several instances of a disconnect between Bundee Aki and James Lowe in the Irish defence.

The home side exploited the resultant gaps, especially in the first half, creating numerous scoring opportunities.

Aki, usually an inside centre, was deployed at outside centre in the Stadio Olimpico as a replacement for the injured Ringrose, with another regular option at 13 Robbie Henshaw also still recovering from injury.

"There were parts of our game on Saturday which were problematic, mainly our defence," said O'Sullivan.

"We were cut open a few times, particularly down the flanks. Which is worrying. That's something that has to be fixed and fixed pretty quickly.

"Ringrose is the glue in the middle of the field. Like in the old days, Brian O'Driscoll was the glue in our midfield defence. He makes all the reads, he does all the talking.

'Ringrose is the glue' - @TheRealEddieOS says it’s a worry at outside centre with injury concerns regarding Garry Ringrose and Robbie Henshaw #rterugby #AgainstTheHead pic.twitter.com/B2txCpihPj

"He talks to the inside, he talks to the outside. Fellas like Lowe know when to stay out, when to come in.

"He goes off the scene. You put someone like Bundee Aki, who's not an outside centre, has to play outside centre and suddenly it doesn't take long for the wheels to come off at that level."

While Ringrose's injury is not expected to be a lengthy one,