Zebo would answer Ireland’s call if it came

Former Munster player Simon Zebo said he would return to the Irish setup at the drop of a hat if asked. “My phone is always on. I’ve two phones and they both work, so we’ll have to see.”

Zebo also suggested that Robbie Henshaw shouldn’t be judged on his performance last weekend at full-back, adding ‘the rust will be knocked off him now’.

There have been calls for the likes of Zebo and Donnacha Ryan to be recalled to the Irish setup in the wake of the defeat to England last weekend but that is unlikely to happen.

“It was a disappointing result. I know all the lads will be gutted with their performance. They didn’t play well, but they still had the opportunity to win it. They weren’t a million miles away with 15/20 minutes to go on the clock.

“That just shows how good and competitive this team is. You have to give full credit to England though, they were obviously hurting after last year when Ireland won the Grand Slam in Twickenham and sometimes a team wants it a tiny bit more than the other.

“That’s the difference at international level. I thought England were brilliant and Ireland were just a little bit off the pace.”

Zebo also had his say on how big of a loss that former Munster and Ireland teammate CJ Stander will be after he was ruled out for four weeks with a facial injury.

The now Racing 92 winger said that Stander is a leader on and off the pitch and that Ireland will miss everything that he brings to the table.

“CJ is a leader off the pitch. He’s a guy who has found his voice in the last couple of years in the changing room and he backs that up on the pitch.

“He’ll be a big loss for Ireland in terms of ball carrying, work rate and defence. He’s got a great engine and he carries the ball probably more than anybody in world rugby. Ireland will miss him the momentum and go-forward ball, he brings.”

The Corkman predicts that Scotland could feel the brunt of an Ireland backlash when they clash at Murrayfield this Saturday.

Scotland started their Six Nations campaign with a 33-20 victory against Italy and Zebo thinks that Ireland could start with a similar pace that England began the game at the Aviva Stadium.

“I see Ireland coming out with the same intensity that England did at the Aviva last Saturday and really sticking it to the Scots.

“They’re going to be hurting, they’re a wounded beast now and Scotland have their tails up after a bonus point victory over Italy.

“So, it’s going to be a very close game, I fancy Ireland to win it by a couple of points. The Scots are going to be very dangerous.

“They are going to make line-breaks and if they finish one or two of those off, it’s going to be hard for Ireland.

They’re going to have to do their best to keep Finn Russell, Stuart Hogg and Blair Kinghorn quiet. If they can do that, then Ireland will win.”

The clamour for Zebo’s return is likely to fall on deaf ears within the Irish set up but he admits that support from fans means a huge amount to him.

“It’s hugely flattering, it’s really nice and it means a lot to me. Especially when you are playing out of the country and there’s still so many people that think so highly of you back home who want to see you wearing the green jersey.

“I’ll just keep on chasing and trying to give the coaches a few headaches by playing well. Hopefully, we’ll go a long way in the tournament in the Champions Cup with Racing and do well in the Top 14, like we’ve been doing.

“All I can do is play my best rugby and give them decisions to make come World Cup time. For now, I’ll lay low, under the radar and keep doing my best. That’s all I can do.”

Simon Zebo was speaking at a Q&A with news.paddypower.com. Zebo is a Paddy Power Rugby Ambassador and columnist with Paddy Power.