Wed 14 Feb 2024 | 12:31

Former Crusaders prop Oli Jager explains the difference between Andy Farrell and Scott Robertson

Munster prop Oli Jager has taken the road less travelled when it comes to Irish Rugby players.

Born to a Dutch father and Irish mother, the former Blackrock College student would go on to play for the Ireland U18 schools team only to miss out on a place in the Leinster academy structure.

Jager would turn this snub as an opportunity to travel to New Zealand in 2013 to attend the Crusaders International High-Performance Unit.

Making such an impression on arguably the world's most successful provincial set-up, he would go on to play for the Crusaders Academy and the Crusaders Knights development team.

From here, Jager would play for the Canterbury Mitre 10 Cup side under the soon-to-be Crusaders' head coach Robertson. Doing the impossible, Jager not only cracked into Robertson's uber-successful Super Rugby-winning Crusaders sides but was a key cog in their front row.

This success did not go unnoticed on both ends of the planet as Jager became a point of discussion as a viable option for both the All Blacks and Ireland.

Initially it appeared as though Jager would opt to switch his allegiance to the All Blacks as he turned out for the New Zealand Barbarians in 2017.

However a return home to Ireland in 2023 with URC Champions Munster put to rest any debate as to where he would be playing his international rugby.

Just months after arriving back to Ireland, Jager was brought into Andy Farrell's Six Nations squad, initially as a training panellist before pushing on to become a full squad member.

Now back with Munster ahead of their URC clash with the Scarlets during the Six Nations fallow week, Jager chatted to the media about a range of topics.

Rugbydump's Philip Bendon asked Jager his opinion on the differences or similarities he saw in Robertson and Andy Farrell, Jager had a rather left answer.

Jager also delved into a variety of other topics, such as the differences between the northern hemisphere and southern hemisphere rugby, what Munster need to do to close out close fixtures and what the Crusaders players made of their trip to Cork to face Munster.