The recruitment of foreign-born props remains one of the most contentious issues in Irish rugby. A history of imported players failing to live up to expectations should prompt the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) to seriously reconsider its strategy before extending a significant offer to yet another Australian strongman, potentially luring him to switch allegiances to Ireland.
This particular Australian prop, a player identified early by then-Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt and brought into the senior setup before making his debut for the Queensland Reds, is now central to the discussion.