Taking Stock After The Six Nations
16/03/08 20:58 Filed in: Sport
Six Nations 2008 will
be one that Irish rugby supporters will want to
forget in a hurry. Finishing fourth meant that we had our worst
final table placing since before Five became Six
back in 2000.
Several truths were laid bare during the campaign. The first was that Ireland's dismal World Cup was more than just a 'blip', as had been claimed by the team's coach and the IRFU. Secondly, it proved beyond doubt that Eddie O'Sullivan's position was untenable, and that the IRFU's decision to award him a new four-year contract before the World Cup last September was a big mistake. Thirdly, it demonstrated our shocking lack of strength in depth in key positions. And fourthly, it showed that if you take an average side with a few world class players, under the right coach they can actually win the Grand Slam. In fact, they can even do it twice in the space of four seasons.
Despite a good start at Twickenham yesterday, once England got into their stride, Ireland had no answer. Poor defending let England in for three tries, while a lack of creativity meant that Ireland's last score of the game was registered at seven minutes. Our midfield, lacking talismanic captain Brian O'Driscoll, had a torrid time. We were unlucky to lose Denis Leamy so early in the game, and also to see Geordan Murphy coming off early in the second half. But this didn't lose the game for us. England were just too good and their outhalf and centres made hay.
So where do we go from here? First up, Eddie just has to walk. Someone has to take responsibility for Ireland's dismal form over the last twelve months, and as he is the man in charge of player selection, coaching and motivating the players, then he has to be the one that takes the blame when things go wrong. That's what Wales did after the World Cup, when they - like us - failed to qualify from the pool stage. Gareth Jenkins got the boot, Warren Gatland and Shaun Edwards took over and reinvigorated the team, who went on to win their second Six Nations Grand Slam in four years. Hopefully the IRFU will have the balls to do it, bearing in mind the new contract was signed only six months ago. If they choose not to, expect them to present the Genesis Report as their fig-leaf.
Whoever is the Irish coach going forward has to start looking for new talent. The IRFU needs to facilitate the development of up and coming players by giving them as much opportunity as possible to play their non-international rugby at home with the provinces. If this isn't possible, then the union needs to have someone keeping an eye on Irish-qualified players plying their trade overseas, to make sure that no potential international players go unnoticed. There needs to be genuine competition for places so that the established players don't get complacent. A player that gets dropped has to be assured that he can get back into the team, but will have to earn his place.
Brian O'Driscoll has been captain for several seasons now, and in my opinion, it is time to hand the armband over to someone else. He has done his due, and freedom from the burden of captaincy might help him to concentrate on his game. ROG would be the natural contender for the position, but given his age, we should be looking for another candidate for the longer term.
After this campaign, and the World Cup before it, will have left Ireland's international players with their confidence at a very low ebb. Whoever takes over will have to be able to re-instill the confidence that was once there. He will have to enable them to rediscover their winning mentality, and also to convince them that it really is possible to beat France and to win the Six Nations.
The bottom line is this - Wales have done it, so can we.
Several truths were laid bare during the campaign. The first was that Ireland's dismal World Cup was more than just a 'blip', as had been claimed by the team's coach and the IRFU. Secondly, it proved beyond doubt that Eddie O'Sullivan's position was untenable, and that the IRFU's decision to award him a new four-year contract before the World Cup last September was a big mistake. Thirdly, it demonstrated our shocking lack of strength in depth in key positions. And fourthly, it showed that if you take an average side with a few world class players, under the right coach they can actually win the Grand Slam. In fact, they can even do it twice in the space of four seasons.
Despite a good start at Twickenham yesterday, once England got into their stride, Ireland had no answer. Poor defending let England in for three tries, while a lack of creativity meant that Ireland's last score of the game was registered at seven minutes. Our midfield, lacking talismanic captain Brian O'Driscoll, had a torrid time. We were unlucky to lose Denis Leamy so early in the game, and also to see Geordan Murphy coming off early in the second half. But this didn't lose the game for us. England were just too good and their outhalf and centres made hay.
So where do we go from here? First up, Eddie just has to walk. Someone has to take responsibility for Ireland's dismal form over the last twelve months, and as he is the man in charge of player selection, coaching and motivating the players, then he has to be the one that takes the blame when things go wrong. That's what Wales did after the World Cup, when they - like us - failed to qualify from the pool stage. Gareth Jenkins got the boot, Warren Gatland and Shaun Edwards took over and reinvigorated the team, who went on to win their second Six Nations Grand Slam in four years. Hopefully the IRFU will have the balls to do it, bearing in mind the new contract was signed only six months ago. If they choose not to, expect them to present the Genesis Report as their fig-leaf.
Whoever is the Irish coach going forward has to start looking for new talent. The IRFU needs to facilitate the development of up and coming players by giving them as much opportunity as possible to play their non-international rugby at home with the provinces. If this isn't possible, then the union needs to have someone keeping an eye on Irish-qualified players plying their trade overseas, to make sure that no potential international players go unnoticed. There needs to be genuine competition for places so that the established players don't get complacent. A player that gets dropped has to be assured that he can get back into the team, but will have to earn his place.
Brian O'Driscoll has been captain for several seasons now, and in my opinion, it is time to hand the armband over to someone else. He has done his due, and freedom from the burden of captaincy might help him to concentrate on his game. ROG would be the natural contender for the position, but given his age, we should be looking for another candidate for the longer term.
After this campaign, and the World Cup before it, will have left Ireland's international players with their confidence at a very low ebb. Whoever takes over will have to be able to re-instill the confidence that was once there. He will have to enable them to rediscover their winning mentality, and also to convince them that it really is possible to beat France and to win the Six Nations.
The bottom line is this - Wales have done it, so can we.