Munster paraded the Heineken Cup through the streets of Cork City last night when more than 30,000 fans turned out to welcome their rugby heroes. At the same time Ireland were playing a one-sided game against The Barbarians.
While the Baa-baa’s match could be labelled a largely meaningless game, and the team facing Ireland lacked the cavalier skills to rightly carry off the illustrious team name, there are a number of positives that can be taken from the game. Most notably the continuing form of some young lights, which could show that the future of Irish rugby is not as bleak as many had expected.
For such a game, the choice of Luke Fitzgerald at centre allowed the young Leinster player to get his hands on the ball and demonstrate his undoubted talent. And now with two years of professional rugby under his belt, his confidence in both attack and defence bodes well for the Irish midfield in years to come. While he has the potential to be heir apparent to his cousin, Brian O’Driscoll, centre might not be the position to unleash his pace, step and aggression.
While full-back may provide another outlet for Fitzgerald’s talents, there is quite a queue building up to take over from Girvan Dempsey. Geordan Murphy still has a year or two, but the emergence of Rob Kearney during the Six Nations and the more recent form of Munster’s Denis Hurley have provided, initially Michael Bradley and then Declan Kidney with a bit of a selection conundrum.
Another area of over-supply is in the back-row. Jamie Heaslip, for one, again demonstrated his excellent footballing ability and with the Munster back-row joining up with the squad in the next 48 hours, Bradley will again have some tough decisions to make down under. The enthusiasm of the squad will come as welcome relief to all following the dismal World Cup and Six Nations endured in the last year.
Indeed Ireland’s ‘blip’ lasted a bit more than the IRFU and the rugby supporting public expected, and O’Sullivan, correctly, paid for the blip with his job. But he did not leave the squad in good shape, mentally or physically.
However, following Munster and Leinster’s wins in the Heineken Cup and Magners League respectively, and the continued emergence of a group of bright young prospects, the squad Kidney inherits might not be in as bad a shape as expected.
Showing posts with label Eddie O'Sullivan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eddie O'Sullivan. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Kidney takes top spot
So the IRFU have finally made a decision, the best one from both a PR and a sporting perspective, to make Declan Kidney the new Irish head coach.
The process to find a replacement for Eddie O'Sullivan had become increasingly drawn out, not quite on an FAI scale, but nonetheless increasingly tedious. Calls were made for updates to be provided from Lansdowne Road, but none were forthcoming.
In defense of the FAI, at least they provided information to the media about the process as it became increasingly protracted. In contrast the IRFU circled the wagons, much like the reporting of the Genesis Report, for fear that any journalist may hear anything positive on the grapevine.
Kidney was always the best man for the job. Having coached at all levels, it was only right that he be allowed an opportunity to coach the top team. There have been dissenting voices about his possible promotion to the post but it is now the Cork man's job to silence his critics.
While it has been known for more than a week that all that remained for Kidney to do was sign the dotted line, it has come to fruition that a number of final issues need to be ironed out.
The IRFU must be commended for confirming his appointment, but equally Kidney must be commended for standing his ground and insisting he appoints his backroom staff. Having been an ill-made IRFU appointment under Eddie O'Sullivan, the Munster coach is only too aware of such pitfalls.
Kidney will not take charge of the Irish team until after the summer tour, thereby providing him with enough time to properly put his back-room team together. From an IRFU, a player and a Kidney perspective, this can only be taken as a positive for the four years ahead.
The Munster man is carefully putting his team together and it may take some time to bed in. We as supporters must allow Kidney and his team time to put their systems in place and not be too quick to judge. To do so would only be to the detriment of the team and the sport as a whole.
The process to find a replacement for Eddie O'Sullivan had become increasingly drawn out, not quite on an FAI scale, but nonetheless increasingly tedious. Calls were made for updates to be provided from Lansdowne Road, but none were forthcoming.
In defense of the FAI, at least they provided information to the media about the process as it became increasingly protracted. In contrast the IRFU circled the wagons, much like the reporting of the Genesis Report, for fear that any journalist may hear anything positive on the grapevine.
Kidney was always the best man for the job. Having coached at all levels, it was only right that he be allowed an opportunity to coach the top team. There have been dissenting voices about his possible promotion to the post but it is now the Cork man's job to silence his critics.
While it has been known for more than a week that all that remained for Kidney to do was sign the dotted line, it has come to fruition that a number of final issues need to be ironed out.
The IRFU must be commended for confirming his appointment, but equally Kidney must be commended for standing his ground and insisting he appoints his backroom staff. Having been an ill-made IRFU appointment under Eddie O'Sullivan, the Munster coach is only too aware of such pitfalls.
Kidney will not take charge of the Irish team until after the summer tour, thereby providing him with enough time to properly put his back-room team together. From an IRFU, a player and a Kidney perspective, this can only be taken as a positive for the four years ahead.
The Munster man is carefully putting his team together and it may take some time to bed in. We as supporters must allow Kidney and his team time to put their systems in place and not be too quick to judge. To do so would only be to the detriment of the team and the sport as a whole.
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