Impressive.

Former Wales and Lions captain Sam Warburton has admitted Ireland are the toughest Six Nations side he’s come up against in recent years, with their ability to hold onto the ball the most frustrating element of their game to deal with.

In a lengthy interview with The Times, Warburton sat down to discuss all things rugby ahead of the upcoming November internationals, and spoke very highly of Ireland.

He admitted Ireland are without doubt the best team in the northern hemisphere at the moment, and praised their incredible ability to do the basics right like retain possession.

Being such a competitor, Warburton said when he played he said he felt like his team could always beat them, but now that he’s retired he says he can appreciate just how good Ireland really are.

“Now that I am on the other side of the fence I can just watch it for what it is. They are so impressive. If I am being perfectly honest, the toughest Six Nations games I have played recently have been against Ireland.”

“They are just so good at… and this sounds basic to say, but it is much easier said than done. They are so good at keeping the ball. People think ‘obviously, that is the game.’ It is a lot harder to keep the ball against an international defence. Players and coaches are trained to get the ball back off you.”

You can listen to Warburton’s interview in full here.