Reform at all levels is the only way forward for Irish rugby now, writes Kate McEvoy…
At the start of the year I wrote articles looking back at the season past and forward to the rest of it. I had France picked for the Championship and a possible Grand Slam, with the English to run them close. After this 6 Nations tournament I feel like I've been dragging myself out from under the rubble and emerging blinking in the pale sunlight. Not only did we see an implosion of the Irish team, we also witnessed the most bizarre competition I can remember. I've spent the week mentally pinching myself and asking “is that all there is?”
Opening weekend, opening match. One team beat another after a first half attacking storm and a second half defensive siege. Closing weekend, one team completely submerged their hitherto undefeated rivals to claim the Championship in a flood of total rugby. The other sank to an ignominious defeat against the underdog to finish second from bottom. It didn't exactly finish for us as it had so promisingly started.
It seems to me that what separates us from the Welsh, other than 3 places on the table, is self-belief & mental strength. The Welsh came from the “low ebb” (© El Thorinho) of an opening home defeat and a substantial losing streak to retain the Championship crown. We finished our autumn campaign somewhat rejuvenated (rightly or wrongly) and put in a barn-storming performance to win our opener on the road. Yet we subsequently fell apart as they rose to a peak.
It does need to be acknowledged that we were desperately unfortunate with injuries. I've seen calls to heap this on the head of Kidney or the IRFU player management scheme which in my opinion, is only relevant to a point. We shipped a lot of broken bones and concussion, they type of injuries where the main cause is plain, old-fashioned bad luck.
However, I'm not interested in weeping and wailing, cursing our bad fortune. Them's the breaks, quite literally in some cases. We seem to be bereft of tactics from our men on the sideline and lacking in execution from the men on the pitch.
Kidney was finally forced to adopt the youth policy the side has been crying out for. The integration of Jackson, Madigan, Henderson et al was done from desperation, not progression, either being forced to do so by injury, or somewhat more cynically, their selections can be viewed as a late attempt to save his job by being something he hasn't been in a long time, progressive.
What's more telling in his flawed selection policy is the reluctance to integrate Madigan into the set-up, and bringing Toner to Italy in the place of O'Callaghan. From opposite ends of the scale, I use these contrasting examples to illustrate Kidney's selections, and his use of substitutions lacked a cohesive vision or a game plan. Outside of the Welsh game, these was seldom a sense of horses for courses, a team picked with the opposition in mind. This would be more excusable if it was sacrificed for an overarching vision for the future, blooding new players at a higher level. But it wasn't. The crop of new players coming through came from necessity rather than vision.
We seem bereft of effective attacking tactics and structures. This was particularly highlighted against the Scots where all the territory and possession we enjoyed weren't converted into points. This in fact was the story of our campaign, a tale of second halves passing unfulfilled. It's easy and important to hold Kidney and his staff to account but I think it's necessary to apply the same rigorous scrutiny to the players. It's always easier to blame the grey man and not the red-blooded warriors putting their bodies on the line before our eyes.
I'm not interested in bashing individual players (I reserve the right to mock Steve Walsh) however the performances were generally lacking and there'll be few if any players who look back on this tournament with a sense of satisfaction of their job well done. On the pitch the handling was poor and good individual decision making was lacking. The coaching ticket can take you so far (which is pretty far as it happens) but they can't play the game for you. Leaders on the pitch seemed in short supply and the players themselves seemed to shrink before our eyes as the momentum seeped out of our campaign like dead air from a pinhole in an old balloon. This was not the (possible) end anyone wanted for O'Gara, O'Callaghan, Darcy and O'Driscoll. If this was to be their end, then I would have them make such an end, as to be worthy of remembrance. And this wasn't it.
Bottom line, we seem to lack self-belief and mental strength as a team and as individuals. Self-belief to win us tight games and mental strength to overcome adversity and bend games to our will. This is what we need to learn from the Welsh, to rediscover in ourselves. Unfortunately it's the most intangible element to success. It's not just about winning and losing. It goes beyond that. The welsh seems to be able to meet with triumph and disaster just the same and realise that form is not destiny. We need to learn that.
So where do we go from here? Most likely, we get a new coach. I'd be surprised if it's Joe Schmidt or Conor O'Shea. I don't care where he's from. I don't want an inferior candidate to get the nod based on the nebulous concept of “understanding the vagaries of the Irish game” (© El Thorinho). I also don't want a lesser option to be drafted in just because he's spent time in the southern hemisphere. Please don't misunderstand me, neither of these are undesirable qualities but they're not the be all and end all. I'm also not bothered as to whether he's a name or not. I want the right guy based on merit rather than reputation.
I would retain Foley on the ticket if possible. Firstly the defence and the maul were the two most successful elements of our game. But more importantly despite their interest in promoting indigenous players above foreign imports, the IRFU don't seem overly concerned with the welfare of Irish coaches. Our best are working abroad while all our provinces will be in Kiwi hands next season. Developing the domestic game isn't just about developing players and that needs to be acknowledged.
The issue of central contracts needs to be addressed. We began the 6 Nations in the knowledge our pivot was headed overseas as the union couldn't match his financial worth and had excluded his club from sharing the load. After the tournament's close, the powers that be decided to award one to a winger who hadn't featured for his country despite a plethora of injuries and who will turn 31 during the next Rugby World Cup. With all due respect to Andrew Trimble, that doesn't make sense.
Stephen Ferris may be the straw that breaks the camel's back. And what a straw. He's Superman, but a hero made of glass. There was once a dream that was Ferris. You could only whisper it. Anything more than a whisper and it would vanish... it was so fragile. And I fear that it will not survive the season. You can't in good conscience gamble with a central contract. They're too important, or they should be. The IRFU can't afford another Denis Leamy. Furthermore, as the players get bigger, the season gets longer, the game gets more physical and thus careers get shorter, they urgently need to reform the central contract system with an eye towards injured players.
This tournament feels like a wasted opportunity, like squandered potential. That's true. But it's a nadir that can be used as a jumping off point for real change and reform, to build for England in 2015. This is long overdue and we can't waste any more time in our four year cycle, or more accurately, we need to adjust to a four year world cup cycle pronto. It takes mental strength to recognise your flaws and self-belief to grow from there. The IRFU need these qualities as much as the management. Is that all there is? For now maybe, but let's keep dancing nonetheless.
Kate McEvoy : Munster fan in a sea of Leinster blue. Raised on a strict diet of Bective Rangers. Earliest childhood memory is stud marks in the muck. Former hooker for a father & a mother with an eye for a forward pass bordering on freakish . Often to be found down Monkstown RFC/ A & E on account of the exploits of the better half. Best rugby memory, Toulouse main square, May 24th 2008. Epitaph will read “Knew a lot about rugby for a girl.” Can be found tweeting optimistically at @ImKateMc
