Get these parts of your game sorted and Joe Schmidt could be showing up at your next game.
Rob Herring has already tasted the lung-searing thrill of running out for Ireland in a Test match.
The 25-year-old, originally from South Africa, made his Ireland debut in the summer of 2014 and has since been involved in training squads. Having just signed a contract extension with Ulster, he is hoping to permanently break into the Irish set-up in 2016.
Herring kindly passed on his take on the three areas of the game that every aspiring hooker needs to work on.
He says, “Lineout throwing. That is something I work on with [Ulster assistant coach] Allen Clarke every week.
“Scrummaging is right up there with throwing. As a hooker, you get judged on your set-piece. Those are the two main elements… It is a very technical art – knowing when and where to make adjustments – and that is why some hookers don’t really hit their peak until they are that bit older.
“Aside from that, you have your general play. Working on your jackaling [breakdown poaching], your attack and defence.
“However, if I was talking to a young player, I would say throwing and scrumming are the two things you need to work on.”
Herring tackles Leinster’s Tadhg Furlong.Herring praises Ulster teammate, and rival, Rory Best on his work at the breakdown and Ireland international Sean Cronin for his ball-carries and line breaks but holds up his general defensive play as his trump card.
“I always try to be the guys with the most tackles in a game, and the most effective tackles too,” he says.
“I always prided myself on my fitness but when I came over here and saw how effective Rory was in the jackal [ball-stealing] position, I tried to emulate that as much as I can.”
