Irelands plan for a future Coach

First topic message reminder :

I maybe miles away and I'm sure people will tell me so but here goes.

When Smit turned Leinster into a SH style team and it showed that Irish players could play as well as anyone at the running game the IRFU put a plan in place to prepare for the next world cup.

Step one
Give Kidney a two year deal so as to keep Ireland ticking over and getting results (nothing good and nothing bad) telling him to keep picking the usual people that could do the job.

Step two
They knew the coaching postions in Ulster and Munster were coming up so they found coaches like Smit who could get the younger players and some of the older players playing fast skilled rugby like Leinster. They gave them two years to get the players up to speed and due to Kidney picking older less skilled players the younger players would have more game time against better players.

Step three
When kidney is finished they bring in a new coach who has the players who are already playing fast skillful rugby and all of them playing a simillar style. This coach would then have an easier job to get the players ready for the world cup.

It is a bit tongue in cheek but it is also serious. By the end of Kidney's contract we will have three teams built on skill, speed and phyiscal in the breakdown. Stand up Mr Bradley who has also been sent away to show that he can play the same game even though he has scottish backs who are notorius for poor play.

Thoughts.

LordDowlais wrote:
I do not think he is doing well, I think he is unlucky, of all the top teams in the six nations there is nothing between them, the only difference is on the day, a bounce of a ball a penalty kick, Wales has about four or five world class players in their side, but during the last six nations the whole team pulled together and won a slam, then we went to Australia and had our arses shown to us, and this is what I am getting at, you all think that a change of coach will make everything rosy again, it won't, why, because you do not have the players to step up and fight when the going gets tough, and that's ok against the Wales, England, Scotland, France and Italy of this world but when it comes to the big three we are all found wanting, we all have to except this for now, but what we can look forward to is a bright future as I only now think that we have all embraced professionalism properly and things can only get better. That's look at facts, and the fact is Declan Kidney has achieved more than any other coach in over fifty years for Ireland and you lot want him out, I say give the man the tools and he will finish the job.(Winston Churchill said that first).

That's your opinion,in my opinion of all the top teams in the six nations there is nothing between them,the only difference is coaching and gameplan,Wales has about 4 or 5 world class players in their side but during the last six nations the whole team played to a clear and consistent gameplan and won a slam.

GunsGerms wrote:

Sin é wrote:

Gibson wrote:

red_stag wrote:Conor O'Shea would be wasted as Ireland head coach.

His ideal role would be head of the IRFU.

That's what I suggested earlier. It would be tricky with the old IRFU bods. He would shake them up and change the board game. Which is what they need.

One thing about Philip Browne, the current CEO - he doesn't have any baggage/connections as his sport was rowing. It wouldn't take long for O'Shea to be accused of favouritism etc. if he got the job, considering he worked for the English RU.

Much prefer Philip Browne to stay on as head of the IRFU then to apoint O'Shea. in fact I think Browne has done an excellent job. If I look at all the 6N unions I reckon the IRFU are probably one of the most organised and forward thinking of them all. Unfortunately this cant be said about the coaching or managment of the team. Far from it.

Yeah but Guns, who appointed Steady Eddie and followed it up with Deccie? And where have we come in all that time? Nowhere. We need to pick a new picker. Who will pick the right coach for us.

LordDowlais wrote:


So what you are saying Secretfly is that the coaches are telling the players to miss tackles and not to go into rucks with commitment, drop the ball ect. Look, I am not having swipes at your players as they are not crap, but they are not as good as you like to think they are, with the exception of about three or four players the rest of Ireland's first squad are either nearing the end or just mediocre, you just have to except this, I have(Wales), and that is why we keep playing the Southern Hemisphere teams and loosing, it will not last forever as I think that the rabo is a breeding ground for young exceptional talent, it's just at the moment we all need to except where we are and not just keep dumping blame on a few. Especially when that few has achieved more in half a century than any other coaching team has.

Lord... everybody has an opinion and, more importantly, everyone is indeed entitled to one. I said the same to Sin é. If he trusts the current coaches, that's his right. My right is to disagree with him and to disagree with you. We'll do 20 pages of this and we'll still both disagree

On the first highlighted point.
A coach chooses the way (ie - he chooses the coaches he wants that will coach the details of the gameplan he wants to champion - Kidney did this).
The coach also chooses the players he wants to play the game he wants to play. He chooses. He decides.
No, he isn't just a chubby guy in a tracksuit, walking around with the little psychological booster shots for players who lack confidence. He's a working man. He plots and plans at a strategic level, he watches provincial games all year to decide on the players he feels will fit his system. He consults with his fellow coaches and other officials (and with Provincial coaches) to perfect the strategies he'll incorporate onto the training field when he eventaully gets his hands on said players. He doesn't just say to himself - "ah Paulie's good...he's in. I like that Kearney at 15, he's in. Earls, I've always been partial to him." He doesn't just choose players and tell them to go out and play. That's just................. well, it's crud to suggest that's all his role is.
He does a job and the job he's doing (and his fellow coaches) is simply not nearly good enough in this cruel International environment. If he improves his approach to what he's asking players to do - I'll support him. It's the design of the game in front of me I don't want - I don't care what coach gives me the design I do want. He's in charge of the design, in charge of the coaches he trusts to effect that design and in charge of the players he's eventually asking to play it. The design will not improve bad players or disimprove good players, the design will be what it is - an improvement on the current methods. A beginning.

Last highlighted point. Just what has it achieved? A Grand Slam? Grand. Players had nothing to do with that, did they? Blame players for being bad and then coach gets the respect for them playing good? They listened to him directly after Eddie and suddenly switched off the ears a year or two later and since? Hearing aids is what they need.
Besides, would you really eat out on that result for so long if your reputation was on the line? There is nothing 'we' between Ireland and Wales. Wales are doing their thing and losing their games to SH opposition for their reasons. With respect, that's your business - the problems and the solutions. I don't believe in this NH v SH deal. I believe in every nation for itself. We don't have to fall together or rise together. We don't have to mimic each other or look to our neighbours for signals of our own weaknesses. Unless Declan Kidney and his guys improve dramatically on the productivity they bring to their jobs - not hobbies - then change is what I and many of my countrymen will require.

LordDowlais wrote:The trouble is Secretfly, is that you and other Ireland posters on here only seem to want to see the thing you want to, and not what realy is happening, until yo take your blinkers off and look at what the rest of the world are looking at then only then will you realise the truth.

That is a pretty arrogant thing to suggest, no? I'm afraid that just happens to be your opinion. I'm sure the rest of the world does agree with you though..

If you mean the rest of the world are looking at a weak Ireland team, then yes, we know. We see the same thing.

I think this is really a discussion we should be having in 2015......

What's hapening in 2015? Why does everyone keep talking about 2015? The new reset date for the next end of the world?

It's when the Mayans predicted Deccie would move on.

Some food for thought -

The thing that keeps getting brought up here is that Kidney cannot be blamed for "missed tackles", "commitment to rucks" and "dropping the ball". Well, firstly I am not sure there is even much point getting into commitment to rucks since that was one of our strongest points in NZ. The pack were fantastic at times. So I have no idea where that even comes from. Past experiences against Wales perhaps, however things looked better in NZ for sure, against much better players.

Now "missed tackles" is apparently a huge problem, based on one game where we were totally destroyed. Our defence was indeed woeful. Which was strange, as our defence had actually been one of the few strong points for the irish team. The question is why did our defence suddenly just disintegrate in that game against NZ. Because normally our defence is a strength for us (though it is a problem in the backs at times, especially in the midfield, and I will get onto that).

Lastly, "dropping the ball". Yes, our biggest flaw indeed is playing rugby with ball in hand. The ability to break defences, and create some flowing rugby is lacking. Often the players just look clueless, out of sync and they just don't seem to know what to even do. I think there is a lot of panic when we do have the ball, and then we just lose possession. Our backs are a huge weakness currently, and they just don't seem to click. Our forwards are not being used properly either in attack.

With that in mind, who is in charge of making the team click? Who is in charge of creating an environment where the players are reading from the same hymn sheet? Being able to decipher weaknesses in opposition teams, and therefore create certain moves or plays to exploit them? Who is in charge of researching the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition teams?

I think it is quite clear to anyone who actually watches rugby, that the coach does indeed have a big role to play. If you have watched any rugby played by Australia, South Africa, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, England.. I think it is blindly obvious that the coach has his say on the make up of the team.

Gibson wrote:

GunsGerms wrote:

Sin é wrote:

Gibson wrote:

red_stag wrote:Conor O'Shea would be wasted as Ireland head coach.

His ideal role would be head of the IRFU.

That's what I suggested earlier. It would be tricky with the old IRFU bods. He would shake them up and change the board game. Which is what they need.

One thing about Philip Browne, the current CEO - he doesn't have any baggage/connections as his sport was rowing. It wouldn't take long for O'Shea to be accused of favouritism etc. if he got the job, considering he worked for the English RU.

Much prefer Philip Browne to stay on as head of the IRFU then to apoint O'Shea. in fact I think Browne has done an excellent job. If I look at all the 6N unions I reckon the IRFU are probably one of the most organised and forward thinking of them all. Unfortunately this cant be said about the coaching or managment of the team. Far from it.

Yeah but Guns, who appointed Steady Eddie and followed it up with Deccie? And where have we come in all that time? Nowhere. We need to pick a new picker. Who will pick the right coach for us.

I might be wrong but I don't think Browne selects the Ireland manager by himself. Isn't there a selection comittee or something along those lines?

Me, Sin é, DOD, Stag, Rodders, Gibbo and Rory usually help him choose

Now those are very cozy meetings I can tell you. I tend to get my chainmail suit dry cleaned the following day...red stains can be stubborn to remove if you leave it too long.

rodders wrote:It's when the Mayans predicted Deccie would move on.

They also predicted Armageddon by the end of this year. Never mind Deccie. Spend everything you haven't got. Have a blast.

Gibson wrote:

rodders wrote:It's when the Mayans predicted Deccie would move on.

They also predicted Armageddon by the end of this year. Never mind Deccie. Spend everything you haven't got. Have a blast.

I thought it was supposed to be some time in September, hang on, it's happening on this thread.

Neil Francis telling it like it is...

http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/bout-of-kidney-fatigue-has-a-terminal-feel-3237112.html

I watched Earls play on Saturday and he was great with ball in hand as was alot of the munster Back's play. Irish players can ball in hand they just have to be shown how to again. the older coaches believe that for Ireland to win they have to kkep it close and thight.

I guess Kindey needs a real backs coach who can stamp himself on the game. Kindney is great with the pack but not the backs.

Give us another guy like Schmidt or penny who has no tags to Irish rugby and let him be a ruthless son of a gun. Pick the form players who play to our strengths (quick ball-open rugby). It seems that the amount of politics in the irfu is shameful and the new guy whoever he is needs to be free of it. Whoever he is, I hope he gets the Irish players who aren't on the lions playing a few games so he has a base of somesort before the AI's. Without lions players he could well have a team of.....to work with and begin imprinting his own style

Court-Cronin/Strauss-hagan
Tuohy-toner
McLaughlin-Henry-Ryan
Reddan-madigan
Fitzgerald-earls
Zebo-k2-trimble

Is Dom Ryan still showing the same promise he once did? He seems to have come off the radar a lot.

I find it amazing that not one single Munster backrow has made it into that team. Dave O'Callaghan, Sean Dougall, Tommy O'Donnell, Peter O'Mahony, Paddy Butler - all in their very early 20s and getting regular game time this season.

Well personally I think pom could be on the lions and yeah was debating between dougal and Ryan. Dougal will prob get more gametime than Ryan so yeah fair enough on him.

Ryan is injured AGAIN.

Oh really I hadn't even considered O'Mahony for the Lions. He will have his work cut out.

Thats what I thought about Ryan - is it a reoccuring injury?

Pete, Keith Earls will travel on the Lions if fit. Former tourist who can play from 11-15 equally well.

Sin é wrote:Pete, Keith Earls will travel on the Lions if fit. Former tourist who can play from 11-15 equally well.

He probably will alright. Not sure if he is necessarily within the top 3 players in Europe in any one position but experience and versatility will be massive pluses in his favour. I hope he does.

If I was hazarding a guess at who we could send to play the USA I would be looking at:

01 Tom Court
02 Sean Cronin
03 Declan Fitzpatrick
04 Devin Toner
05 Dan Tuohy
06 Dave O'Callaghan
07 Chris Henry
08 Peter O'Mahony
09 Paul Marshall
10 Ian Madigan
11 Craig Gilroy
12 Fergus McFadden
13 Darren Cave
14 Simon Zebo
15 Dave Kearney

16 Mike Sherry
17 Callum Black
18 Jamie Hagan
19 Donnacha O'Callaghan
20 Kevin McLaughlin
21 Eoin Reddan
22 Ian Keatley
23 Brendan Macken

There are so many lads we could have in there. Felix Jones, James Downey, Luke Fitzgerald, JJ Hanrahan, Eoin O'Malley, Andrew Trimble, Roger Wilson, Denis Hurley, Gordon Darcy, Shane Jennings etc but I think something along those lines will be a good team to bring.

rodders wrote:Neil Francis telling it like it is...

http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/bout-of-kidney-fatigue-has-a-terminal-feel-3237112.html

Laughable rubbish from Neil. Does he not know that players do the tactics and the coaches simply transport them to the grounds? He should ask a few people here who know the deal.

Yep, Neil is on the buzzer. He says what many (not all) of us are thinking. And even though he gives his view, he doesn't hatchet Kidney. He tells the truth. This isn't a witch-hunt after a man who has had a major part in bringing Provincial rugby in Ireland out from under the shadows of our large neighbours and who helped us gain the elusive GS. No, it's just business. If he doesn't fit the necessary Irish re-fit, then he'll have to go - just like some of our old soldier players will have to give way. Time moving on. Nobody can stop it.

The point I'm making is even with some very good Irish representation on the lions our new coach will have a fair dollop of his first line players around. He should have a good platform to make an impact on the team. There are some first choice Irish players who may not make the grade for the lions squad

pete (buachaill on eirne) wrote:Well personally I think pom could be on the lions and yeah was debating between dougal and Ryan. Dougal will prob get more gametime than Ryan so yeah fair enough on him.

Ryan is injured AGAIN.

In my opinion Peter O'Mahony isnt even good enough to play for Ireland. He shows a lot of heart, comittment and pride in the jersey which is all great but for me he just doesnt have the physical presence and ability that you need at International level. Maybe he will develop into a good international but right now I feel he is ridiculously overrated.

His team mates and opponents seem to rate him - he was the IRUPA Young Player of the Year last year and has captained every team he has played for.

Give him another year to develop physically - he just went 23 last week. No one thought much of Sam Warburton up to this time last year and he is a year older than POM and Sean O'Brien was 23.5 before he even started a Test.

Totally agree Sin, don't think he'll make the lions though.

I just hope that our new coach can get certain players playing his way rightfrom the off and that the transition begins June 2013 not November 2013

GunsGerms wrote:

pete (buachaill on eirne) wrote:Well personally I think pom could be on the lions and yeah was debating between dougal and Ryan. Dougal will prob get more gametime than Ryan so yeah fair enough on him.

Ryan is injured AGAIN.

In my opinion Peter O'Mahony isnt even good enough to play for Ireland. He shows a lot of heart, comittment and pride in the jersey which is all great but for me he just doesnt have the physical presence and ability that you need at International level. Maybe he will develop into a good international but right now I feel he is ridiculously overrated.

POM is more talented than most backs! Also if you don't think he has physical presence you must not have seen him much. He has added some more weight over the summer. He can play 6,7 or 8 comfortably and is a lineout option as well as being a good ball carrier.

You must remember last season was his first season playing for Munster. Forwards usually peak in their late 20s.

Definite Irish Lions:
Sexton
R. Kearney
Cian Healy
O' Brien
Heaslip
R Best
Ferris
Earls


Maybe:
BOD (As Captain?)
POC
T. Bowe
Reddan
McLoughlin
Fitzgerald (not much time)

Definites:

O'Connell
Best
BOD
Sexton
O'Brien
Ferris
Kearney
Healy

Maybes:

Bowe
Heaslip
Earls
Murray
Ryan
O'Mahoney

Forget about it:

Fitzgerald
DOC
ROG
D'arcy
McFadden
McLaughlin
Jennings
Paddy Wallace

It is too late for Fitz in terms of Lion's selection, though I sure do hope he can play as he did last season and make a claim for his irish shirt again. I still think he is best suited to 13 though.

I like Fitz a lot actually but I'll eat my hat if he makes the Lions tour. Hes not in the Ireland frame right now.

Should have mentioned Gilroy and Zeebbbbooo as bolters. Definitely in the possibles.

Paddy will get his yearly call as he emerges from the sea Bond-like and fully recovered from his last face surgery:

"Paddy, Gat's here. Look, I know you've been run over by a few buses in your day with that Irish lot but I've been caught short and a bunch of them Irish lads says you're the fastest man at packing a suitcase. So what do you say? As a replacement for Healy?"

rodders wrote:Definites:

O'Connell
Best
BOD
Sexton
O'Brien
Ferris
Kearney
Healy

Maybes:

Bowe
Heaslip
Earls
Murray
Ryan
O'Mahoney

Forget about it:

Fitzgerald
DOC
ROG
D'arcy
McFadden
McLaughlin
Jennings
Paddy Wallace

You read my mind, Rodders!

Since we're talking about the Lions...

I don't think there'll be any Irish bolters this time. The team will IMO be modeled on Wales and with a Welsh core of players. I'd say the tactics will first and foremost be about dominating Australia physically with big power runners all over the team. Nothing too sophisticated but effective.

IMO the team could look something like the following. The back 3 will be North, Halfpenny and Visser. The centers will be Roberts and Davies (he plays with Roberts and Phillips so he'd get the nod ahead of Tuilagi and BOD). Sexton and Phillips at half back. A backrow of Warburton, SOB and Ferris. Second row POC and Ritchie Grey. Front row of Adam Jones, Hartley and Healy. They could start with a pure scrumaging loosehead too to try and put the squeeze on the Aussies with Healy used as an impact sub or vice versa.

SecretFly wrote:Paddy will get his yearly call as he emerges from the sea Bond-like and fully recovered from his last face surgery:

"Paddy, Gat's here. Look, I know you've been run over by a few buses in your day with that Irish lot but I've been caught short and a bunch of them Irish lads says you're the fastest man at packing a suitcase. So what do you say? As a replacement for Healy?"

You're not quite taking this seriously enough, are you Fly?

Sound.

We look like we will have a good team in America for that tour either way, injuries aside.

I wonder what a new coach will make of the Strauss situation particularly if he is a foreign coach

pete (buachaill on eirne) wrote:We look like we will have a good team in America for that tour either way, injuries aside.

I wonder what a new coach will make of the Strauss situation particularly if he is a foreign coach

#


As in?

Ah I love these Irish threads. I'm rotten how we haven't been scoring enough tries and it all gets put into perspective when I read about how your boys could and should be playing better because their coach isn't getting the best out of them as he's not utilising them in the best way. And then I start thinking is this slowly happening to NZ and are we missing the input of a real strategist like Wayne Smith.

So I say feck you and your problems with Kidney. We've all got something on our plates we're finding difficult to swallow. But I wish you the best of luck in finding what you're after in a coach. Until then, I'll be under the illusion that these threads are my panacea.

Wayne Smith???????????? hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...thinking

Robbie Deans is going to become available soon. He used to be everyone's favorite coach but I reckon he might not be flavour of the month when he does get sacked and therefore attainable. Would he want to coach Ireland? Probably not however if he was coach and Les Kiss went back to focusing on defense it might be a good fit for Ireland. Any takers?

kiakahaaotearoa wrote:Ah I love these Irish threads. I'm rotten how we haven't been scoring enough tries and it all gets put into perspective when I read about how your boys could and should be playing better because their coach isn't getting the best out of them as he's not utilising them in the best way. And then I start thinking is this slowly happening to NZ and are we missing the input of a real strategist like Wayne Smith.

So I say feck you and your problems with Kidney. We've all got something on our plates we're finding difficult to swallow. But I wish you the best of luck in finding what you're after in a coach. Until then, I'll be under the illusion that these threads are my panacea.

+1 And this chaps, is somebody from the rest of the world I mentioned earlier.

Rest of the world?! I'm not fat! Let alone that fat!

Lord, my post was tongue in cheek. These Irish posters have every right to be upset about the way their side is going just as you had every right to be upset how Howley had your boys playing in Oz. As fans we are free to speculate on how things could be better.

SecretFly wrote:

pete (buachaill on eirne) wrote:We look like we will have a good team in America for that tour either way, injuries aside.

I wonder what a new coach will make of the Strauss situation particularly if he is a foreign coach

#


As in?

I don't know if kidney wants to play Strauss (obviously a huge guess just doesn't seem like he'd want to) a fOreign coach I imagine wouldn't care at all

In all honesty LordD probably doesn't know the first thing about DK but just wants to take his opportunity to put the foot in by insisting that its all Ireland's players fault and therefore they aren't very good etc. more than likely a symptom of the plethora of trashings Ireland have dished out to the welsh over the last 20 years even by Ireland teams much worse than the current team.

Fair dues to the Welsh who are motoring at the moment however the biggest difference between the two teams is the manager or would any Welshman agree to swap the heart and soul of their team for a pi$$ taking Kidney.

pete (buachaill on eirne) wrote:

SecretFly wrote:

pete (buachaill on eirne) wrote:We look like we will have a good team in America for that tour either way, injuries aside.

I wonder what a new coach will make of the Strauss situation particularly if he is a foreign coach

#


As in?

I don't know if kidney wants to play Strauss (obviously a huge guess just doesn't seem like he'd want to) a fOreign coach I imagine wouldn't care at all

Yeah, might be the case pete. But then I think the IRFU would be having a say there too (for now at least whilst things are sensitive around the idea of dropping in 'mercenaries' into National teams) We've been pistol whipped by the New Zealanders a while back for our policies and only recently the South Africans have had a snipe at us.

It might be dicey political ground at the moment that might keep Strauss off the team.

GunsGerms wrote:In all honesty LordD probably doesn't know the first thing about DK but just wants to take his opportunity to put the foot in by insisting that its all Ireland's players fault and therefore they aren't very good etc. more than likely a symptom of the plethora of trashings Ireland have dished out to the welsh over the last 20 years even by Ireland teams much worse than the current team.

Fair dues to the Welsh who are motoring at the moment however the biggest difference between the two teams is the manager or would any Welshman agree to swap the heart and soul of their team for a pi$$ taking Kidney.

When have I said that the Irish players are not very good ? Look if you tell me it's your tactics that are wrong then fair enough, but good or bad tactics, it is not Declan Kidneys fault that the players show more passion for their province than they do for their country.

LordDowlais wrote:

GunsGerms wrote:In all honesty LordD probably doesn't know the first thing about DK but just wants to take his opportunity to put the foot in by insisting that its all Ireland's players fault and therefore they aren't very good etc. more than likely a symptom of the plethora of trashings Ireland have dished out to the welsh over the last 20 years even by Ireland teams much worse than the current team.

Fair dues to the Welsh who are motoring at the moment however the biggest difference between the two teams is the manager or would any Welshman agree to swap the heart and soul of their team for a pi$$ taking Kidney.

When have I said that the Irish players are not very good ? Look if you tell me it's your tactics that are wrong then fair enough, but good or bad tactics, it is not Declan Kidneys fault that the players show more passion for their province than they do for their country.

Sorry but I dont think you can really question the comittment of the players. Whenever I watch Ireland play from where I'm sitting it looks like they are all busting a gut and putting their bodies on the line in every game (bar third test NZ).

Our tactics are simply apauling lately. Why are the Irish backs making so many mistakes when under EO'S they were the one of the most cohesive fluent back units in world rugby? Two main reasons:

1. Very bad tactics - The Irish backs are currently the most predictable in the world. There is very little variety, creativity and intellegence to their backs moves. This is why Ireland have gone from a team that used to have one of the best records in world rugby for scoring off first phase to a team that will go through multiple phases without making much ground. The more phases you go through the more likely you are to make a mistake. Furthermore, opposition defenses can predict what we will do on attack and put pressure on our backs also causing them to make mistakes.

2. They are very badly drilled. Les Kiss is a defense coach and a very good one. As he has taken responsibility of all aspects of backs play our backs have become more disorganised and defense worse.

Selection for me is also a problem but Ill get into that another time. Point is these are all issues can be ironed out by better coaching.

LordDowlais wrote: it is not Declan Kidneys fault that the players show more passion for their province than they do for their country.

Actually it is. He has the pen and the list of names of the non-triers. He has the power to strike a line through the naughty lads and call others up. He has the power to create tension, in other words - to scare the guys with cobwebs who feel nothing is going to threaten their position. Kidney has the administrative muscle to prove the lazy lads wrong.


Oh dear - what a positively blasphemous point!!! Everyone who has ever watched rugby knows you can't just sack all your best players because they won't play ball. You have to mould and sweet talk and pretty please them. You have to give them chocolates and say they're dashing gents and would they please,like, maybe just play a game or two for appearances like.

No, that rubbish is for mascot coaches. The rest of us, most of us, think a bad coach, or a continuously impotent coach, just needs a thankyou and a payoff.

SecretFly wrote:

LordDowlais wrote: it is not Declan Kidneys fault that the players show more passion for their province than they do for their country.

Actually it is. He has the pen and the list of names of the non-triers. He has the power to strike a line through the naughty lads and call others up. He has the power to create tension, in other words - to scare the guys with cobwebs who feel nothing is going to threaten their position. Kidney has the administrative muscle to prove the lazy lads wrong.


Oh dear - what a positively blasphemous point!!! Everyone who has ever watched rugby knows you can't just sack all your best players because they won't play ball. You have to mould and sweet talk and pretty please them. You have to give them chocolates and say they're dashing gents and would they please,like, maybe just play a game or two for appearances like.

No, that rubbish is for mascot coaches. The rest of us, most of us, think a bad coach, or a continuously impotent coach, just needs a thankyou and a payoff.

No need for a payoff, just let him see out the rest of this contract till after the 6Ns and save that payoff money to attract a top coaching set up. Looking back, has the lack of replacing Gaffney been the IRFU's way of keeping that place open for a new coach to bring in their own man?

thebandwagonsociety wrote:
No need for a payoff, just let him see out the rest of this contract till after the 6Ns and save that payoff money to attract a top coaching set up. Looking back, has the lack of replacing Gaffney been the IRFU's way of keeping that place open for a new coach to bring in their own man?

Did you read Kidney in his latest interview/press conference (Irish Independent). He's taking full responsibilty for the double jobbing of his coaches. He says it's his way, he'll do things his way, he's done them before with Munster and that's how it is.
So when I, and others, gave him the benefit of the doubt on many occasions, and blamed an intransigent IRFU for not recruiting the coaching positions that need filling, he's now telling us we were wrong. It's been him all along who thinks a attack coach doubling as a defence coach is better for communication of an overall gameplan.

O'Driscoll in his recent interview suggests different.

One of them is right.