Is Kidney blessed?

The fresh blood Kidney was forced to use today proved that Ireland has strenght in depth and that successive Irish coaches conservative selections have not served Ireland well. I think it could've been further improved today by including Touhy and McFadden from the start instead of O Callaghan and Darcy. The fact McCarthy was picked ahead of Touhy can only be because he covers backrow aswell and that! from a Connacht man. C'mon Ireland! It's always nice to win in London.

Kidney has made some bad mistakes with Ireland. However I am not sure he is "blessed".

I've noticed a growing trend where its the coaches fault if we lose or play badly. However if we win/play well then people claim its down to the players.

Look, i have slated Kidney but in reflection, he has got the tactics pretty much spot on except for the second half against France.

red_stag wrote:Kidney has made some bad mistakes with Ireland. However I am not sure he is "blessed".

I've noticed a growing trend where its the coaches fault if we lose or play badly. However if we win/play well then people claim its down to the players.

In fairness, Kidney has had a lot of bad results and has avoided a lot of the flak because of the grand slam. I think it's only right that he should be questioned, along with the players, about our performances and about his decisions. Tactically we have been poor over the last few season, we have had big performances but they are few and far between. His selections have been poor, and very questionable. DOC and D'arcy spring to mind immediately. When your players play extremely well for their provinces and at times look clueless at how they have to play internationally, you start to question the tactics and how come they're not singing off of the same hymn sheet. If Kidney got a lot of praise for the slam, which he did, surely he has to take blame in equal measure.

Gretgael, you are only focusing on half of my point.

Stag, I mentioned in my last line that Kidney also a generous amount of praise for the slam, which would differ from your point that only players receive the plaudits after a victory. This definitely was the case in 2009.

Despite the first half of the French game, the scottish game and the fact that we could very well have won against Wales I still believe kidney should go because....

I think another coach could get a lot more out of our team, I still think Kidney is exceptionally archaic and out of date in the way he organises attack structures mainly, his defensive strategies are quite good, and Foley has helped IMO, simple things like that lineout for best's try and also the one done last week where Ryan arched wide off Murray and Trimble collected a switch to go through the centre of the lineout but in terms of phase play he is too limited.

He favours slow scrumhalves and players who are not comfortable on the ball. Players like Lawes, Ryan, gray are the kinda players who are needed but these are not the kinda players that Kidney trains or picks or bases his teams around

Kidney winning percentage is worse than O'Sullivan's.At least with O'Sullivan we came second in many six nations and just fell at the last hurdle.However with Kidney we have some of the best players in the championship and yet are not producing the results.

I agree with both pete and hugo. If you watch Munster, Leinster and Ulster play you would know that Ireland are not playing to their strengths, and this makes it all the more frustrating because we're still being competitive with Kidneys stifling tactics. Imagine actually playing to our strengths?

I was hoping that we'd blood a few players this 6 nations for our upcoming tour of New Zealand, but again Kidney refuses be creative and sticks with the likes of DOC and D'arcy. Ryan and POM only started today because Kidneys hand had been forced. What sense does it make having a 32 year old lock on the bench when the younger and, imo, better Touhy and Toner are resting at home? I honestly think Kidney can bring us no further, I wish this wasn't the case and he proves me wrong, but I can't see it happening.