''So, what's the plan, boss?''
Emma Tobin
Rugby Correspondent; @emztoby
Thinking back to the last World Cup in 2007 is like a visit from Freddy Kruger for most Irish rugby Fans.
Even before the contest began, the Irish Camp was quietly in disarray. Rumours were running amuck over clashes between Munster and Leinster players. A certain number 10’s personal life was being publicised and vilified in the media. Brian O’Driscoll’s future in Irish rugby was in serious doubt after it was hinted he may be moving to a French team. There were even suggestions of early retirement. Eddie O’Sullivan’s authoritarian grip on the squad was beginning to show signs of stifling creativity, opportunities and morale.
A lack of self-belief was hidden behind a bravado of near arrogance. Usually a beacon of level-headedness, BOD went so far as to close an interview with one RTE2 reporter with the phrase “we’ll go all the way”. This sort of self-induced hype only made the results of the Cup that much more gruesome to witness.
Placed in the so-called “Group of Death”, it became a self-fulfilling prophecy for the Irish. It all started with a nightmarish display against the then lowest ranked team in the competition, Namibia. A misleading 32-17 victory highlighted urgent issues, and O’Sullivan was either ignorant to them or unwilling to act.
The following narrow win over Georgia by 14-10 was a traumatic experience for any rugby fan to witness, but a win was a win in the coach’s eyes. A win like that in the fans’ eyes pointed towards sure slaughter against higher-ranked teams. Any hope of the Irish camp living up to their expectations became a distant dream, based on the need for strong, multiple-try victories in the last group matches.
Unsurprisingly, we experienced a 3-25 routing by the French hosts, and a lacklustre, disheartened and a frankly embarrassing performance against Argentina, losing 15-30. Eddie was indignant in his criticism. Gerry Thornley could be heard screaming “I TOLD YOU SO” down in the Stade Cheblan- Delmas. The Irish Team fled home without progressing beyond the group stages for the second time in three tournaments. The country was shocked, the team’s confidence shattered and torn apart by the media and fans alike. The equally disappointing 2008 Six Nations which followed led to the inevitable the replacement of O’Sullivan as Coach.
The Irish squad this time around looks far more promising, although, in all honestly, that would not be a hard feat to achieve.
Declan Kidney’s camp is in a much healthier state than O’Sullivan’s 2007 contingent. Self-analysis and humility (save a few lovably brash characters) are evident in every interview with any member of the Irish camp. There is little fanfare over victories and an approach to each match as they come is driven by an urge to prove themselves rather than a desire to win silver.
O’Sullivan was heavily criticised for his repetitive reliance on the same starting 15, with only the occasional change. Yes, we won three triple crowns and at one stage raised as high as third in the world rankings, but it came at a long-term made evident by the crystal-clear glasses of hindsight.
While preferred players tired out, new blood rarely got a chance to shine. Star players were given the duty of not only carrying a team but the media burden that comes with it. Beyond the O’Gara’s, O’Driscolls, O’Connells and Stringers, others were left out and diminishing confidence levels in lower preferenced players became contagious. When any members of O’Sullivan’s chosen 15 were fatigued or injured replacements were inexperienced, intimidated and desperate.
Kidney’s tactic in this regard is almost a polar opposite. Handed the mantle of Head Coach in 2008 after what can only be described as the implosion of Irish rugby, he announced his first intention to ‘build a squad’ and ‘rebuild confidence’. A fabled retreat to Enfield and the calling up of new players fundamentally altered the psyche of the Irish Camp. The team that emerged from the devastated O’Sullivan regime were – quite literally – unbeatable. By the end of 2009 we had the first Irish Grand Slam in 61 years and had not conceded a single match, including defeating World Cup Winners South Africa and a draw against Australia.
The squad has since suffered some unexpected losses, most notably a 79th-minute, Triple Crown-loosing loss to Scotland in 2010. I sat sobbing hysterically in my seat in Croker for half an hour. A Dan Parks effigy was set on fire soon after.
Still, the team has delivered some outstanding performances since their Grand Slam glory, a personal favourite being the Grand Slam denying victory over the English in the last Six Nations. Murphy’s Law dictates you do not pre-emptively record a Nike ad celebrating your Grand Slam glory before you play your last match, against your historic rivals, on their home turf, when they have a point to prove. Amateur.
But back on point, Kidneys balance of conservative choices, while giving new blood time in smaller test and friendly matches has kept the squad ticking over. In 2007, there was no one at all as a replacement for Denis Leamy at Number 8. The only alternative to O’Gara was, ahem, Paddy Wallace, who played and still plays at centre for Ulster. The only on paper centre alternative to D’arcy or O’Driscoll was Gavin Duffy. The chosen 15 really were the only 15 in Eddie’s eyes.
Complacency can be destructive in sports, and thrown in with the rest of the mess that was engulfing the squad, it was, perhaps, the final, biggest nail in the coffin for Irish world cup glory.
To say competition exists this time round is putting it lightly. The dropping of Lion Luke Fitzgerald and would-have-been Lion Tomás O’Leary are probably the biggest upsets in squad choices that have occurred in Irish Rugby. But here’s the thing: they weren’t playing well. O’Leary’s last few games have been shocking. Fitzgerald seems to have lost the ability to hold the ball in two hands,a habit coincidentally picked up on the Lions Tour from Ugo Monye, a glaring absence from the English plane to New Zealand.
Conor Muarry, O’Learys replacement may only have 3 caps, but he has played at the top level in all three matches and has, to put it lightly, saved Munster’s ass in the past season. Andrew Trimble is on top form and, save a few poorly-timed discrepancies in the summer series, Keith Earls is very slowly becoming international class. Tommy Bowe’s selection is undisputable. Anyone who can scare Brian Habana on a pitch should never be left off it. Heaslip is a world class Number 8, who can go toe to toe with France captain Thierry Dusautoir. Fergus McFadden is quietly being trained in to replace BOD when that time comes. We seem to finally have a replacement tighthead in Mike Ross, so John Hayes can, at last, retire in peace.
Every player who will board the play to New Zealand deserves to be there, and despite some injuries and lack of game time, will be able to play at the level required in a World Cup.
It’s not all good news though. Penalty counts against Ireland have risen sharply in the last two years. We’ve lost matches, quite a few of them recently, and trophies as a result of this. Adaptation to the new rules was been slow. The moving of certain players between positions, most notably Earls and most notable when filling in for BOD on Saturday, has meant some players have not been allowed settle into roles. To become the best player you can be in any given position you need time and experience in that spot. Or so I’m told. Being 5ft 2” and female has limited pitch-time considerably.
The team as a whole is top class, and can and have played some of the best rugby seen in the last few years. Consistency and pre-tournament form are a glaring issue, to the extent that warm-up matches became almost predictable to those of us without lives. The team play jaw-dropping set pieces for periods within a game, falter for longer periods and lose any ground gained on penalties or self-inflicted tries. They find themselves having to battle back up the score board in the last quarter, sometimes successfully, but injuring or tiring themselves out in the process, or coming within touching distant only to lose in a confidence-blowing defeat.
What’s more, the goings on in these faltering periods is deeply concerning. Worryingly numerous basic handling errors give away possession too often, and there are kicks into the middle of the field that give no visible tactical advantage besides giving possession away, unless there’s a reverse psychology tactic at work.
These are the basics; things that should not be an issue at international level. Yet they are the first things that give way in a shaken Irish side.
Even with the worrying form and technical issues, things are still looking more promising for us this time round. We’ve a full playable squad, in relatively good spirits, a head coach who is not reviled by his team, world class forward, backs and kicking coaches, a sense of humility and a drive that was so missing last time round. Finals may be a dream, but like the squad I believe we need to view this cup on a match to match basis. The quarter-finals would be nice, and look achievable given our pool. The semis would be even better, and also distantly possible, should we top the pool in the group stages. The final would be a wild dream come true, but in all honesty, an all southern hemisphere final is the mostly likely outcome.
But as Conor O’Shea, Brent Pope and George Hook say time after time in every test match commentary, you need a win to gain momentum before you can achieve anything. This vital momentum has yet to materialise, to say the least. Confidence built up from wins of the past can only go so far. But Kidney denies the defeats of the last few matches have affected confidence, saying it is the performance that matters, though a win would be nice. For now, I’ll silence that little voice that tells me that’s what Eddie would have said.
