RUGBY: Johnny Watterson talks to front row guru Roly Meates about the importance of a settled scrum and the challenge facing Marcus Horan if he is called on to take over from Reggie Corrigan at loosehead prop.

The front row has often been compared to Dr Who's Tardis. It doesn't look like much from the outside, particularly from the West Stand, but once you get in there, Jesus H! In that respect outsiders see it as a deeply mysterious object, but one that is crucially important to Ireland's tilt at France in their next Six Nations match in Lansdowne Road.

But Ireland may have a problem. With loosehead prop Reggie Corrigan's wrist injury putting him in a long line of front-row walking wounded, along side Paul Wallace, Emmet Byrne and Keith Wood, Ireland are likely to bring in the highly talented but inexperienced Marcus Horan to fill the hole. Perhaps Horan is not so much a problem as unproven at this level.

Roly Meates is probably familiar with the classic Dr Who and scrums don't scare him, while Leinster value him as one of, if not the, best technician in the world in the set piece. Meates sees the scrum with different eyes than most of us. The scrum, he says is "the most esoteric" of set phases.

It is also the platform for what many consider one of the best three-quarter lines in the championship and, in Brian O'Driscoll, the best outside centre in the world.

It does not take too big a leap of faith to understand that for O'Driscoll to prosper in breaking the heavily fortified midfield, the Irish front row must feed him.

"If the scrum is not working you are denied quality ball," says Meates. "Secondly, you may be put into red alert in defensive areas around the scrum. But probably the most important thing is that the midfield and outside backs can stand there in the certain knowledge that the ball is coming to them in a particular way.

"I have seen the general wellbeing, ethos and demeanour of a side drop suddenly if it starts losing its own ball. If the scrum goes wrong, it has, in my view, a psychologically disproportionate affect on the team."

Few doubt Horan's ability, but, in Corrigan, Leinster and Ireland have grown an immense figure, who has woven his way in as an essential part of the team fabric. As Leinster captain, Corrigan's leadership qualities along with those of Anthony Foley and Ireland captain O'Driscoll makes the skipper's job a tripartite agreement.

As Corrigan's career suggests, the subtleties and nuanced positioning in the set piece is generally learned over time.

"I think Reggie is a loss to the Irish team," says Meates. "What happened Reggie was that he got on, did well. I can't remember what went wrong, but he then somehow lost his way and got lost and Peter Clohessy became the number one guy. We started working the season before last and he did extraordinarily well. I'd be happy now that Reggie could get into a scrum with anybody in the world.

"Really, though, the question is whether you can meet the problem or not. Marcus Horan has improved. There is no doubt about that and everyone is supportive of him. But I would say that to come in as loosehead prop at this level against a team of the calibre of France is demanding. He has come on in two games now against Scotland and Italy, but it is a huge developmental process.

"Whether France will target this area or not, I don't know. There is the strong possibility that they will and Marcus will have a job on his hands."

Horan and Corrigan are seen as different types of player, Horan smaller and faster in the loose with ball in hand and Corrigan bigger, invaluable in the set piece and also able to get around. But the generalisations are incorrect, as both play down Corrigan's ability in the loose and Horan's technical expertise.

'To say Reggie is a tight scrummager and Marcus is a loose runner is not true. The issue is how Marcus Horan's scrummaging stands up. If it does stand up, then the rest of his game, the tackle count, the support of the ball, the defence, all of these things are good enough to play," says Meates.

"What one is looking for are five to six quality balls in a game. And if you get 50 per cent return on those . . . well.

"The scrum is a set procedure that can produce that quality ball. We are fortunate to be producing it to one of the best three-quarter lines anywhere in the world. And it's not a physical contest. Wouldn't we be right shaggin' idiots to start pushing people backwards when all we need to do is produce quality ball. But to do this you need quality props who won't be messed up by whoever comes over to Dublin."

The prop issue and injury list is not particular to Ireland. The conveyor belt of front rows is not prolific and the gap in standards between All-Ireland League, European Cup and Six Nations is pronounced. There is also a shortage of quality front row players in Britain, and, according to former Irish team coach Warren Gatland, players such as John Hayes could be in the top earners (£150,000 a year) in the English Premiership.

"Propping at AIL level and scrummaging in general at AIL level is a great distance from what it is at international level," says Meates. "It is one of those things that we will have to face up to very dramatically.

"I don't mean any disservice to players, but you could say that the number of props who are currently capable of playing international or provincial rugby is quite limited within the country.

"Myself and Des (Fitzgerald) had a number of catch phrases," says Meates. "One of them was 'be good enough when you get there'."

Horan is likely to be there against France. There are few who would claim he doesn't deserve it.