Food for thought for Kidney

The southern hemisphere tour has hardly been a roaring success so far, but some players have given Declan Kidney plenty of food for thought.

By Conor Heneghan

Nearly three weeks after departing Ireland with great hopes of finally making a statement by defeating a southern hemisphere giant on their own patch, Ireland go into Saturday’s test with Australia needing at the very least a creditable showing to prevent the tour from being remembered as an absolute disaster.

A record defeat to the All-Blacks showed just how far we have to go to be anywhere close to Graham Henry’s side and although there were positives to be gleaned in the three-point reverse to the Maoris last Friday, the defensive frailties were there for all to see in the opening stages. Although a new-look side fought back admirably, the game in Rotorua will ultimately be remembered as another defeat.

In fairness, the odds were stacked against Declan Kidney’s men from the very beginning. Citing the absence through injury of the likes of Stephen Ferris, Luke Fitzgerald, Jerry Flannery and particularly Paul O’Connell sounds like an easy excuse, but the truth is that a team with Ireland’s resources cannot afford to be without such high quality performers against the world’s best in their own back yard.

Similarly, arguing that Ireland’s players were suffering from having played such a long season sounds almost like sour grapes, but certain players, such as Brian O’Driscoll, Ronan O’Gara and David Wallace, all Lions in South Africa last summer, certainly looked as if they were feeling the effects.

Shreds of success

Even in the defeats so far, however, the tour has proved to be a success in a couple of areas. A number of players exposed to international level for the first time have shown that they are more than up to the task, while others in the team, who may previously have been regarded as shoo-ins, are now faced with serious competition for their places.

In the first bracket, Niall Ronan and Chris Henry have really put their hands up as genuine alternatives to what’s on offer in the back row and have shown that Ireland’s assembly line of talented performers in that particular section of the team shows no signs of slowing down.

Ronan was fantastic in the loose against the Maoris and was involved in nearly all of the good moves put together by Ireland after the disastrous start. The Munster man was also very abrasive in the breakdown and the fact that he gave away two penalties was more down to unfamiliarity with the new rules and harsh interpretation by referee Mark Lawrence than any real negligence on Ronan’s part.

Henry also contributed to a powerful back row performance while Rhys Ruddock also deserves an honourable mention. For a man that arrived on tour so late and for somebody with little exposure at provincial level, Ruddock was an absolute revelation against the Maoris.

Because of his inexperience, Kidney was never likely to throw Ruddock in from the start against the Wallabies, but the Leinster man is likely to see some game time off the bench and will return home with his reputation vastly enhanced.

Of the other changes made to the team that started against the All Blacks, Sexton for O’Gara at out-half was a no-brainer. O’Gara’s silly concession of a yellow card immediately after Heaslip’s sending off was just one incident that didn’t go his way in New Plymouth. His kicking out of hand was poor and he was constantly targeted, with success, by a rampaging New Zealand pack that simply ran over him in the tackle.

Sexton, by contrast, was the epitome of class and control against the Maoris and ran the show once Ireland had recovered from a horrible first 20 minutes. His place kicking, apart from his late miss, was spot on and he fully merits a start against Australia. On the evidence of the tour so far, O’Gara will struggle ever to reclaim the number ten jersey on a regular basis.

Outside options

Paddy Wallace (below) is rewarded for a magnificent showing last Friday with a start at inside centre. He is arguably a more gifted playmaker than Gordon D’Arcy and his exchange with Geordan Murphy leading up to his try against the Maoris was a joy to behold.

Murphy, however, is extremely unlucky not to be starting Saturday’s test. The added responsibility of the captaincy seemed to inspire the fullback and some of his touches were different class. He is far more of an attacking threat and just as safe under the high ball as Rob Kearney, whose reputation has taken a bit of a battering after some indifferent performances this season, including against the All Blacks.

The most emphatic statement made by Kidney, however is the inclusion of Tony Buckley at loose head with John Hayes not even included amongst the replacements. Hayes has suffered from illness on tour, but one gets the feeling that the transition from one Munster man to another at number three could be a permanent one.

In a game where scrums didn’t matter, Buckley was outstanding against the All Blacks. He constantly showed up in the loose, made a series of crunching tackles while his assist for Brian O’Driscoll’s try was something the captain himself would have been proud of.

It is unfortunate that Buckley’s perceived weaknesses in the scrum won’t be tested by what is a weak Australian outfit but even still, Hayes will be 37 in November and though he is still likely to be on the plane to New Zealand in the autumn of next year, it could well be as a back up to his Munster team-mate.

Regardless of how the game against Australia pans out, the summer tour will have given Declan Kidney plenty to ponder, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

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