Will John Kirwan end Auckland’s Blues?
Roar Pro By SamClench, 18 Jul 2012 SamClench is a Roar Pro
- Tagged:
- Auckland Blues, John Kirwan, New Zealand rugby, Rugby Union, Super Rugby
Brumbies Francis Fainifo tackles the Blues Rene Ranger in the Super 14 rugby match at Canberra Stadium, Saturday, May 9, 2009. The Brumbies won the match 37-15. (AAP Image/Alan Porritt)
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Former All Black John Kirwan will coach the Auckland Blues for the next two seasons after the Super Rugby franchise responded to a horrific performance in 2012 by sacking incumbent boss Pat Lam.
Auckland could only manage one semi-final appearance during Lam’s four-year tenure, and won just four of 16 games to finish 12th on the overall ladder this season.
But Lam should be remembered fondly for his faithful service to rugby in the region. He coached Auckland at the domestic level from 2004 to 2008, overseeing two competition victories and an incredible unbeaten season.
The Blues had become chronic underachievers long before Lam took the helm, always boasting a talented roster but rarely living up to the hype. While the coach has fallen on his sword, the players must accept their fair share of the blame.
In order for the franchise to regain its credibility, Kirwan must make consistency the new mantra of his team. The Blues can no longer afford to be sporadically brilliant, drifting in and out of games. The players must learn to ply their trade maturely, with unrelenting intensity, over the full eighty minutes.
Kirwan does know a thing or two about winning. He is a favourite son of Auckland rugby, having represented the region in 142 games as a player and served as an All Black on 96 occasions.
His coaching career has admittedly been less than stellar thus far. Kirwan does have ample experience in the international arena, with stints in charge of both Italy (2002-2005) and Japan (2007-2011).
But both tenures ended in disappointment. Kirwan oversaw a winless Six Nations campaign for the Italians in 2005, and his Japanese side could only manage a draw in last year’s Rugby World Cup.
It should be remembered that Japan are rugby minnows, and that Italy are traditionally the whipping boys of the northern hemisphere. Auckland fans will hope that Kirwan can reach greater heights with a more talented roster at his disposal.
This team undoubtedly has the potential to win a title, but it will never happen while the players indulge in an immature, undisciplined brand of football.
There are no excuses for the Blues’ sub-par performances of recent seasons. As coach, Pat Lam was ultimately accountable for these failures.
Perhaps, as an old Auckland great, Kirwan will be able to deliver his franchise a record more worthy of its proud history.
The Crowd Says (33) | Page 1 of Comments
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- Auckland Blues, John Kirwan, New Zealand rugby, Rugby Union, Super Rugby
July 18th 2012 @ 5:58am
mania said | July 18th 2012 @ 5:58am | Report comment
lam got screwed. congrats JK your an awesome addition.
July 18th 2012 @ 6:58am
Terry Tavita said | July 18th 2012 @ 6:58am | Report comment
kirwan should recruit 2-3 top japanese players to his auckland side..strengthen the japanese national side which will be good for japanese rugby and the global game..
July 18th 2012 @ 7:15am
Thurl said | July 18th 2012 @ 7:15am | Report comment
I may be wrong, but I thought his brief is to strengthen the Auckland side
July 18th 2012 @ 7:45am
Terry Tavita said | July 18th 2012 @ 7:45am | Report comment
wouldn’t hurt to strengthen the japanese side too..do not many kiwi ruggers end up collecting their pensions in japan? where’s sonny-bill heading to again?
July 18th 2012 @ 9:35am
allblackfan said | July 18th 2012 @ 9:35am | Report comment
terry, Otago’s ITM side has two members of the Jpanese 2011 RWC side in their squad (a hooker and a halfback). I think that’s eough. The Blues really need to do what Otago has been forced to do — look local 100 %.
July 18th 2012 @ 6:20pm
SamClench said | July 18th 2012 @ 6:20pm | Report comment
I remember being really impressed with both of Japan’s halfbacks at the World Cup, starting and backup. Don’t know which one they’ve picked up, but could be a shrewd move.
July 18th 2012 @ 8:31pm
Matt said | July 18th 2012 @ 8:31pm | Report comment
Tanaka was the smaller of the two, very much in the mould of Aaron Smith (zippy, with a good pass but lacks individual ball running dynamism at this stage).
July 20th 2012 @ 12:58am
alblackfan said | July 20th 2012 @ 12:58am | Report comment
Fumiaki Tanaka (halfback) and Shota Horie (hooker)
July 20th 2012 @ 6:24am
pogo said | July 20th 2012 @ 6:24am | Report comment
I remember the hooker being very good.
What, though, would possess them to come to the blues? Given the japanese clubs have enough cash to pay our players to move there what could we offer them? I assume their top players are handsomely paid as well.
July 18th 2012 @ 1:14pm
Tigranes said | July 18th 2012 @ 1:14pm | Report comment
Terry would any Japanese players be good enough to play for Auckland?
July 18th 2012 @ 1:17pm
Terry Tavita said | July 18th 2012 @ 1:17pm | Report comment
I wouldn’t know..don’t know any japanese players..just trying to think outside the proverbial box..i live in samoa..
July 18th 2012 @ 8:37am
chuck said | July 18th 2012 @ 8:37am | Report comment
Terry Tavita.
Auckland Blues has too get its own house in order 27 wins over 4 years isn’t a pretty picture kiwi rugby players collecting a pension in
Japan is a Business deal with the player concern and Sonny Bill accepted that option on his terms John has too put the Blues back on the winners podium again which his contract is only 2 years they have enough talent in New zealand for him too scour through instead of selecting oversea players.
July 18th 2012 @ 12:46pm
Terry Tavita said | July 18th 2012 @ 12:46pm | Report comment
if rugby goes up another notch in japan, there will be ten more SBW-type packages available..guess who benefits? the japanese market is huge..super rugby is just about saturated now..it hasn’t grown much – if any – in 16 years..
July 18th 2012 @ 1:27pm
chuck said | July 18th 2012 @ 1:27pm | Report comment
58.million view over three country i would say its grown big time super rugby is a product that’s sold over three nations saturation point is no where near that south africa are trying very hard too bring another team into the comp.SBW CARTER
@UMGA type packages will always pop up if you want me you pay and good luck too them
Japanese market is huge no doubt Super rugby is a product that sells it self sponsors cant get enough it.
July 18th 2012 @ 1:34pm
Terry Tavita said | July 18th 2012 @ 1:34pm | Report comment
yea, sponsors really can’t get enough of it..cops and plumbers in Auckland get paid more money than some super rugby players..and those super pathetic salaries aint going anywhere..
July 18th 2012 @ 3:52pm
chuck said | July 18th 2012 @ 3:52pm | Report comment
I dont recall any of the players complaining about what numaration they getting just happy too make it in the team and the sponsor top up what ever with free medical Lawyers accountants travel just for using their product it opens the door for them that’s the big picture for their future every one has started at the bottom of the scale and no doubt they do move off shore for better pay well that’s the nature of the beast when is money enough lets face it rugby union has not been professional that long we all want them too get what
they worth after all they get too play in front of a huge ordinance over three nations but your point is taken
July 18th 2012 @ 10:16am
sixo_clock said | July 18th 2012 @ 10:16am | Report comment
Bugger! Now there could be another good team from Kiwiland. Don’t you blokes realise we all have to have an easybeat option to entertain the whinging class.
ps: In Ozland it ain’t my Rebels anymore.
July 18th 2012 @ 10:23am
Team Taniwha said | July 18th 2012 @ 10:23am | Report comment
Whilst Lam’s time had to came to an end, i am not sure whether Kirwan is the solution. What did he really do for Japan or Italy?
Seems there will be no other changes, i.e. Andy Dalton and members of the board. Still seems very Auckland and nothing to do with North Harbour and Northland. I would have preferred Plumtree or better still Vern Cotter. The fact that the latter is still under contract till next year, but was still recently lunching with Dalton, might suggest a ready made replacement is nearby if Kirwan does not deliver.
July 18th 2012 @ 11:03am
enforcer said | July 18th 2012 @ 11:03am | Report comment
Let’s not forget, Italy are the whipping boys of tier 1 European rugby and Japan are competitive with the Pacific nations when they are missing key players but not otherwise.
Neither of these nations underperformed under Kirwan’s charge. They didn’t exceed expectation but they didn’t under perform.
Does that make him a good coach? No, but it certainly doesn’t prove he’s a bad one.
July 18th 2012 @ 1:33pm
pogo said | July 18th 2012 @ 1:33pm | Report comment
Northland and Harbour don’t help their case by propping up the bottom half of the championship division (6th and 7th last year). They have a few issues to sort out too.
July 18th 2012 @ 3:18pm
Team Taniwha said | July 18th 2012 @ 3:18pm | Report comment
True, but Auckland didn’t exactly set the world on fire.Time will tell with Kirwin
The greatest on-going is recruitment and not harnessing what is in the region. When you consider that Kieran Read, Conrad Hurrell (Auckland Grammer first fifteen) and Mike Harris all slipped through the cracks of the catchment to name just a few, good scouting and recuitment has been an issue.
July 18th 2012 @ 3:34pm
Pogo said | July 18th 2012 @ 3:34pm | Report comment
Kieran Read was a counties player (karaka I think) so was in the chiefs catchment. Apart from that I completely agree, I reckon Slaimankhel would be just as useful for the blues as for the warriors as well.
I think we have previously damaged some of our recruiting prospects by bringing in players like Steven Brett who weren’t really committed to the cause and just moved on after a couple of years. We would have been better off doing a better job of finding talent within our own provinces.
July 18th 2012 @ 6:17pm
SamClench said | July 18th 2012 @ 6:17pm | Report comment
Agree entirely about recruitment. Brett was an inconsistent player and, as you say, wasn’t really committed to the cause. Not the sort of player that the Blues need. They would be better off poaching solid, consistent players with a proven attitude, or working really hard on their own development.
July 19th 2012 @ 8:06am
Pogo said | July 19th 2012 @ 8:06am | Report comment
Yep, in hindsight if you had a choice between Steven Brett for one more year or bringing Mike Harris into the squad which would you choose?
July 18th 2012 @ 2:36pm
Jaredsbro said | July 18th 2012 @ 2:36pm | Report comment
I think this might be my first response to/in a Blues article. To be honest (as a Blues fan) the treatment of the afforementioned gentlemen by this site hasn’t been up to scratch. Compared to say the issues well espoused facing Australian Rugby
.
I think the issue facing this franchise is quite incredible…especially since they were so dominant not all that long ago. As my dad has said on a few occasions now, to criticise the Blues has become akin to being called a Racist. There’s very little you can do about being labelled a critic, and your left with it contaminating what everything thinks about you, but particularly what you say which means there’s even less you can do about finding some accountability.
But it comes down to moving into the professional era. Doing what Shane Warne once talked about: finding someone who can enable the players to play like they ought to. We need more than coaches at this level, you need managers. I used to think they were one and the sae thing, but someone like Kirwan’s public persona gives off the impression of a manager-style. Someone who can help individuals (or at least be perceived as such) not someone who readies them for the game.
I guess you do need both. But I never got the impression that Lam had anything like this approach. He seems far more of the older-style coach, someone who plied their trade during the Amateur era potentially.
Another thing that needs to happen is finding players who can ‘quarterback’ as it were. Manage the situation when its happening on the field. Rugby Union probably needs this more in general, but some teams are au fait with their abilities to such an extent that they just need coaches who will tweak the few areas they really need to work on.
July 18th 2012 @ 3:04pm
SamClench said | July 18th 2012 @ 3:04pm | Report comment
Your dad has definitely picked up on something. Don’t even think about comparing the Blues to the Crusaders! You also make a really good point about player management, the Blues seem to need vast improvements in that area.
July 18th 2012 @ 4:15pm
Uncle Argyle said | July 18th 2012 @ 4:15pm | Report comment
I think Auckland will get their affairs in order quicker than NSW will. Auckland is a genuine rugby stronghold and has won a Super rugby title and the rest. Kirwan is not an outsider to the Auckland rugby regime. Neither was Pat Lam but John Kirwan is after all…John Kirwan!
Can anyone tell me where Keiran Crowley ended up. I think him a good coach that would also do well at Super Rugby.
July 18th 2012 @ 6:00pm
SamClench said | July 18th 2012 @ 6:00pm | Report comment
I believe Keiran is currently coaching the national Canadian team. Doing a decent job at it too.
July 18th 2012 @ 4:29pm
MELB NSW 4 lyfe said | July 18th 2012 @ 4:29pm | Report comment
The sooner and better Auckalnd can transition its success at the national level the quicker the revival can occur. If PL’s acheievements with the provincial side was something to go on, and then his lack of success @ Super rugby, where was the fall? Tactically that falls on the coach and coaching staff and there ability to pick the right players for the right tactics..quick to blame the players and the coaches can play victim but when you send the boys out against top quality international opposition with little or no visible gameplan what do you expect? Thanks Pat Lam, you are a great servant to the game but rugby success can no longer linger on pride and the smell of linement, money talks and wins make the money…
July 18th 2012 @ 10:11pm
Matt said | July 18th 2012 @ 10:11pm | Report comment
A little harsh on Pat Lam, as he’s had a VERY rough season with injuries. However, when you see a young guy like Charles Piutau come in and tear the house down for the final two games, then you realise there is something fundementally wrong with Auckland Rugby. There are plenty of talented players heading to high paying junior league contracts, but the cream of the talent has always gone to Union. The question is, how can the Warriors turn their juniors into young title contenders (and title winners) while the Blues seem to stunt the careers of those young guys who make it through the system?
You also get the feeling that the Blues and Auckland have never really played better than the sum of their parts under Lam. The Hurricanes, Highlanders and Chiefs have all surprised the experts and fans by playing great rugby with squads which didn’t impress on paper at the opening of the season. Much of this must be put down to coaches getting more out of their players, which is why Dave Rennie, Jamie Joseph and Mark Hammett have all been acclaimed in 2012 as performing well.
Another questions is how greater Auckland, which houses the vast majority of the registered players in NZ cannot turn these numbers into a winning culture. It is exactly the same questions as is being asked in NSW at present. In both cases the question remains, would a second team in town sweep a broom through the old failing systems and set about a greater level of innovative and positive strategy for recruitement, training, marketing and promoting rugby in Australasia’s larget rugby markets.
Has NSW and Auckland suffered from an over-centralisation of power, which has undermined their efficiency and created the perception of an ‘old-boy’ run machine that has become lazy and far too cumbersome within the rapidly changing pro-sport marketplace?
July 18th 2012 @ 11:03pm
SamClench said | July 18th 2012 @ 11:03pm | Report comment
You make some very interesting points. I think the emergence of a second team in Sydney/Auckland would definitely force the Tahs/Blues to be more thorough and innovative with their recruitment and development. Would never happen though, in a provincial competition you can’t have two teams from the same province. And in the case of NSW, I’m not convinced that there is enough depth available to form two quality teams. It would be a huge gamble.
July 19th 2012 @ 6:00am
Pogo said | July 19th 2012 @ 6:00am | Report comment
Well you could make a northern team out of northland and harbour (playing out of Albany) and a a southern blues team by taking counties off the chiefs and combining them with Auckland.
The northern team would have two championship sides as their base, but so do the highlanders.
Not that I think you should, but you could.
July 21st 2012 @ 11:35am
DB1999 said | July 21st 2012 @ 11:35am | Report comment
You did know that the Blues have been called just that since 2000 and are no longer called the Auckland Blues?