Welcome to blog 2. So far, so good.
Before we get into this week’s ramblings, just a quick note to say cheers for taking the time to read my first blog. A few grammatical errors aside, you didn’t roast me too badly, so thanks for that. Feedback always welcome to @nkeegan , and remember, you will never offend me with cash ;).
With all of that said, let’s kick off.
Twitter has been near bursting point like Katy Perry’s dress (and what a dress it is) lately with opinions on how to deal with the national team after the New Zealand tour. Some are saying that Kidney should be fired and Joe Schmidt should be given the keys to the car, while some are saying the players should be blamed. For reference I turned to my Skybox to find some good Ireland performances. When I heard pundits saying there where very few, I had to do some research. In 3 years, there were 3 performances that us fans where happy about. The first was against England in Lansdowne rd, when the English where chasing a grand slam (and had made victory videos before the match), the second was against Australia in the world cup and the third was the second test against New Zealand.
In 3 years we have had 3 performances that show how good we are. What where the reasons for these performances? We did the simple things well. The penalties against were kept low, the set piece functioned well and the players appeared to believe in the game plan. They looked relaxed, confident and yet angry at the same time, much like the women in coppers (if I mention them, they may give me a gold card). They looked in control the whole way. This was against top flight opposition that were not going to fold. We dominated in these matches.
Why only three matches since 2009?
Well lightning did strike a few times, we had the players playing in their best positions. Eoin Redden started against England and Australia, for me (it’s my blog dammit;)) he is our best 9. The ball flies around quicker which means we are going forward most of the time. Conor Murray is the future without doubt, but he has moments of indecision. He did play well in NZ which may mean he is turning the corner. The front row was FIT! This is hugely important. We just cannot function without them. The pressure on the 3 lads (Healy, Best and Ross) to play regardless of their fitness is immense and needs easing asap.
We all saw the matches and it doesn’t take years of playing the game to see what went right. Simple things done well. Right decisions made at the right time. Why isn’t this happening all the time? When I make wrong decisions it means I am either drunk or I don’t care. I would bet my most vital of organs that the players are not drunk and care a huge amount, so it must be the clarity of the message from the coach. This needs to be addressed. When we try and play an all blacks game we get beaten by 30 points, when we play our own game we frighten the AB’s and nearly snatch a win.
The IRFU also need to shoulder a lot of the blame. They have had a spectacularly blunderous (thank you higher level makey upey English) performance over the last 12-18 months. The player succession strategy is something that should have never seen the light of day. The positive is that they see the need for more Irish players in the provincial teams, which is a good thing. Gutting the provinces is NOT a good thing! Leinster where able to field a fully Irish team, Munster wouldn’t be far behind. But Connacht and Ulster would struggle under this new strategy. The governing body need to get the schools system working with the provincial system working with the national team. They appear to be trying to justify the large salaries with complicated ideas, the government do the same thing. The answer is simple for both, get everyone working off the same page. Make the process inclusive!
The message to players of all levels needs to be consistent. Once the message is understood we can move on.
Back to the initial paragraph.
Do you think Joe Schmidt would take the Ireland job? Would he even help out? Firstly he is not legally allowed entertain the idea, he is under contract and as long as that is in affect he can’t go near the Ireland job. Would Conor O’Shea take the job? Is he too young? Same goes for Eric Elwood, he has harnessed something in Connacht which is great to watch. They have a fighting spirit in that team which is a huge asset and that is in huge part down to the job Elwood has done. But should he have a few more years managing before stepping up?
So you see, the shouting for Kidney to be sacked is quite valid. But where do we go if he goes. We know Kidney is a great manager, he has performed at every level. I think the IRFU have to make a decision right now on who their next manager will be, and have regular meetings with them to discuss the future.
The problems are much deeper than only having one number 1.
Until next week, if there is a next week with all this Higgs Bosom nonsense…
keego (@nkeegan): Newbie blogger, former professional wrestler, sometime attempted rugby player (@TheThirsty3rds), professional procrastinator and attempted musician with a fondness for long walks on the bar, tea and the couch. Opinionated Leinster fan and constant gardener.
© JL Pagano 2012
