Irish rugby has some big decisions ahead, writes Ryan Cullen…
As an Irish man I have been told for 20 years and more that ‘we love the rain’ and ‘wet conditions suit us’; that ‘rain is positive for Ireland’. Once upon a time of course this was very much the case – Ireland could rely on wet old Dublin to ‘level the field’ and help them to gain parity with their rivals.
The truth these days though (and what has been the truth for the past decade probably) is that we like a nice dry spring day as much as anybody else. Wet and wild isn’t our thing. Our strengths tend to be nullified somewhat when conditions turn bad. We are terrific at generating quick ball, at putting together multi-phase attacks involving all 15 men. Taking it up the guts is rarely our easiest road to success.
Thus there were groans from most Irishmen when they woke up and saw the cold and wet conditions that would face the sides on Saturday. It almost seems unfair that on both occasions we have hosted in this championship we have had to overcome the weather as well as the visitors. Given the ‘disadvantages’ that had already fallen our way pre-championship, surely it wouldn’t have been too much to ask that the weather behave. Declan Kidney certainly must have had similar thoughts.
Yet despite the weather, Ireland set about France on Saturday with an impressive degree of accuracy. Hands were good. The lineout showed a welcome return to form and the maul was supreme. A few scrum issues aside, it was a terrific first half performance – Paddy Jackson even found his kicking boots and gave the men in green a deserved half-time lead. France, on the other hand, looked disparate as Freddy Michalak attempted to captain the ship through Dublin’s monsoon. It’s hard not to feel a degree of sympathy for Michalak – there is no shame in being asked to do something you are not capable of and falling short. All the blame should lie at Philip St. Andre’s feet as far as France is concerned.
Given Ireland’s relative first half dominance, it would be easy to characterise the second half as a major shift then but that simply isn’t the truth. France never wrestled control away from Ireland, they just edged their way back into the game. It’s hard to point to anybody on the French side who put in a herculean effort which swung the game in their favour, well though the likes of Dusautoir and Picamoles played. The truth is that Ireland’s level declined rather than France’s level greatly increasing. The sharpness that served Ireland well in the first half couldn’t be sustained and the greater French power began to tell.
And Declan Kidney thought that he should gift the visitors a chance also. What other reason was there for the decision to replace Conor Murray on the sixtieth minute of what may prove to be his break out performance for his country. Certainly to this observer the decision is unfathomable. Murray was controlling the game, kicking excellently and making the correct decisions more consistently than at any other stage of his international career. It’s probably not too much to suggest that his substitution was the turning point of the match.
Injuries also undoubtedly played their part too - by the end of the game we saw a bare bones Irish side that had only 3 or 4 actual ‘first teamers’ left on the paddock. Listing all the injuries Ireland is now suffering from would take far too long, but it’s fair to say that we might have annoyed somebody somewhere along the way. Perhaps the IRFU need to consider the workings of the player management programme as it’s clear that we are suffering more than any other country currently despite our seemingly well-managed workloads.
Certainly Ireland should feel no shame about Saturday’s result, many other sides would have buckled with fewer problems than Ireland have carried throughout this championship. It is undoubtedly testament to the work going on at provincial level that we now can sustain as many injuries as we have and still be a competitive outfit. The conveyor belt of talent is certainly coming into its own. The spirit the side has displayed throughout this relatively barren period has also been commendable and certainly points to a bright future.
Of course the immediate future is a trip to Rome to face an Italy side that pushed the ‘grandslammers in waiting’ all the way. A tough trip at the best of times, victory for Ireland with such constraints on the squad would represent a damn good result. For Declan Kidney, though, this is likely to be the last time we see a side he has chosen line out for Ireland regardless of the result. Whilst nothing has been confirmed by the IRFU, it is hard to see how the former Munster coach could remain at the helm.
Often within sport, public opinion can be divided. In Ireland we often see regional fractures or camps split over one particular player’s abilities. That the vast majority of the country believes that it is time for Kidney to go probably tells you as much as you need to know about the situation. Kidney has taken this squad as far as he can.
We should all remember the state of the nation he took control of when Eddie O’Sullivan’s time came to an end though. We have a much stronger squad now than then and we play a more attractive brand of rugby too. We have had real success under Kidney, something no other Ireland coach in my, or my father’s, lifetime can say.
And yet, the general direction of travel since 2009 has been downwards and that is why Declan’s time has come. Ill-conceived selections and substitutions as well as an almost pathological incapability to change have all come back to bite Kidney.
We will hear a lot in the coming weeks and months about who should take over from Kidney and rightly so, it is possibly the most important decision in Irish Rugby since the game went professional. But I hope we can all get behind the lads and ‘Deccie’ one last time before we move on to his successor. After all, we will always have Cardiff.
My name is Ryan Cullen and I am a 25 year old Ulster season ticket holder. I was introduced to the game around 15 years ago and have loved it ever since. I have an interest in pretty much all sports though so don’t be surprised to see a few football (Liverpool), Golfing and Racing interests (to name but a few) thrown in from time to time.
