With the 2015-16 season now over and the players resting, it seemed a good time to assess Ireland’s form over the last eight months.
It has to be said that, for many reasons, the future looks bright for Irish rugby!
One of the reasons for this optimism is because of the results of Ireland’s recent series against South Africa. An injury-ravaged, Irish national side came very close to beating the Springboks in their own back yard, with several players enhancing their reputations in the process.
Another reason would be Connacht winning their first Pro12 title and playing attractive rugby along the way. Also because all four provinces will compete next season’s ERCC.
But, maybe most importantly of all, in terms of Irish rugby’s future, Ireland reached the final of the World Rugby U20 Championship for the first time ever and also became the first male Irish rugby team to beat New Zealand (the Irish ladies of course beat their New Zealand counterparts back in 2014).
Back to the international side. After a lacklustre and disappointing Six Nations (where Ireland finished fourth) and with injuries ruling out several key players, including Cian Healy, Peter O’Mahony, Sean O’Brien, the Kearneys and Jonny Sexton, hopes weren’t high for Ireland winning the series against the Springboks.
In fact, it appeared that Ireland would do well to even stay competitive in the series with many Irish fans fearing a three-test whitewash would be the result for their team.
But instead, Ireland came very close to winning the series against the Springboks, coming on top in the first Test and only succumbing to the altitude and fatigue in the second and fatigue in the third Test – though Ireland were still in the game right until the final whistle.
It has to be pointed out, in the interests of fairness, that South Africa were dealing with their own injury problems in the series. They had just got a new coach – but none of that should take away from Ireland’s performances.
Several Irish players returned from South Africa with their reputations enhanced. Paddy Jackson was the star Irish player of the tour, in my view. He had been thrown in at the deep end, after injury to Sexton, and was playing his first Tests for many months after having been overlooked by coach Joe Schmidt. But the Ulster no.10 commanded the team like a seasoned pro and has given Schmidt a headache in picking Ireland’s first choice out-half.
Rory Best led the team well at hooker and has cemented himself as Ireland’s captain. The only question mark against him would be that he has yet to finish a full game, usually been taken off at the 65th minute of the match.
The fact that there are very able replacements in Sean Cronin and Richard Strauss available, means that it may not be that much of a problem after all.
Jamie Heaslip can take over as captain as well, and Heaslip has added to his reputation after some quiet games and a poor season for Leinster, overall. Devin Toner and Iain Henderson have returned as a powerhouse duo and may soon rise to the level of a Paul O’Connell.
Jack McGrath and Jared Payne are two more players who should slot into the Irish team. Payne, who played the first two Tests before getting injured, has certainly given Rob Kearney a real challenge at full-back, having terrific games in what were his first Tests in that position.
Looking at the provincial side of Irish rugby, the pool tables for the ERCC have been selected and Connacht have been placed alongside Wasps (former two-time Heineken Cup winners) and Toulouse (former four-time Heineken Cup winners). However, showing Connacht’s great rise in recent times, the western province are actually favourites to top their pool.
Munster are third in their pool, along with Glasgow, Leicester and Racing Metro. Munster really need to reclaim the magic of old if they want to achieve great things. On a side note, the contests between Racing and Munster will be interesting, given that Racing’s kicking coach is none other that Munster legend Ronan O’Gara.
I wonder what kind of reaction he’ll get when he returns to his home stadium of Thomond Park (which isn’t the fortress it was when he played there)!
Leinster have hired former New Zealand World Cup winning coach (2011) Graham Henry, to advice them during pre-season training. Henry is considered one of the best coaches in rugby. Leinster certainly need a lot of advice. They were poor in last season’s ERCC tournament, only winning one out of six games.
They fared much better in the Pro12, though, reaching the final, only to be beaten by Connacht. Henry has been given the seal of approval by none other than Leinster and Irish rugby legend, Brian O’Driscoll.
Ulster are seeded bottom of their pool but none of the other teams have been presented with an insurmountable challenge. Each of the four Irish provinces have a chance of qualifying to the knock-out stages of the ERCC.
The upcoming season should hopefully see the dawn of a new era for Irish rugby and should also see several Irish players boarding a plane in the red of the British and Irish Lions for their tour to New Zealand in the summer of 2017!
Bakkies
Guest
Conference systems in Rugby is gash
Akari
Roar Rookie
I do hope that Bundee Aki makes the team and is a success. He would have been a wasted talent if he remained in NZ and didn't get the opportunity to play beyond super rugby level.
Derm
Roar Guru
There's talk/discussions of changes to PRO12 for the 2018 season with the league moving to a conference system, reducing the number of regular season games from 22 to 19, and possibly a six-berth playoff finale. One of the reasons for that is to take league matches out of international windows. They would replace this with a British & Irish development style comp that would replace B&I Cup and the AW Cup. This would give a chance for academy players to improve their skills and game time.
Bakkies
Guest
Strauss is good for cover while players like Mike Sherry, McBurney, Scannell, etc recover from injury or gain more experience. Those players do provide depth which Ireland needs. Schmidt has talked about having two players in each position at least and a squad of at least 50 test capable players. The under 20s will get experience. It's a matter of when. Half of them have academy contracts and I do think Betts is doing the right thing by learning his trade at Leicester. He was unlikely to get many games at tight head for Munster even with the lack of options. Too young to be throwing in straight away. It's better that he is doing it now rather then later like Mike Ross. Leinster have no option but try out these players due to the retirements and the 6 Nations taking out at least 30 odd players. There is a very lack of incisiveness and pace on the wings. Young Keenan is definitely a prospect and may have to be fast tracked.
Derm
Roar Guru
Fair comment on the residency qualified players. Hebst will have a bit of a queue in front of him, but they may cap him in a match cynically just to bag him. Ditto Heenan although he seems to be a bit of an injury table resident. McCartney at hooker is another possibility. I think Payne's test future is going to be at FB to give Rob Kearney and Zebo competition. Ireland has good midfield players coming through who need more game time - Gary Ringrose being another possible star. I don't think the mix will get to 50/50 but the likes of Stander, Roux, Strauss, Payne could be regular players for next few years, although the latter two don't have age on their side.
Derm
Roar Guru
Yes. I would have thought the same about names like Niyi Adeolokun. Or Zebo. Or Strauss. ?
SDHoneymonster
Guest
Not so sure personally. It was a hell of an effort with an injury-hit squad - but, man, if ever a series was there to win in South Africa, it was this one. Not only did the Boks have some injuries themselves, they just weren't very good and were there for the taking. I think if England, Australia, Argentina or even France were playing them the Boks would have lost the series rather than won it. I also think some of the injuries gave Ireland a chance to tweak their backline for the better - Henshaw at 13 (until his injury of course!) and Payne at 15 is something that should have happened a while ago but wouldn't have had the Kearneys been fit. Will Schmidt keep it that way when Rob Kearney is fit though? I'm not so sure. As for the U20s, the issue there is that it seems to be very hard for the youngsters to get good game time for the provinces - they seem to break through much later than their counterparts in England or Wales, for example, which holds them back. There seems to be more invested in developing project players to qualify for Ireland than there is in giving homegrown academy produced talent its head - be interesting to see the Ireland squad in a year's time for example, with the likes of Aki, Herbst and Heenan all qualifying by then. Could soon be looking at close to a 50:50 split project and local players in Irish match-day 23s soon, which is surely not good for the U20 production line.
Bakkies
Guest
Bundee ended Ben Te'o's hopes of getting an English cap just before he went on tour.
dcnz
Guest
and to add Richie McCaw said that if Sexton had landed that penalty kick in 2013, they would have lodged an ABs scalp in 2013... ..or the AB's would have still found a way to win. come on Ireland, nicest bunch of lads in the 6N.... dc
Akari
Roar Rookie
Thanks for the article, Declan, and clarification of the various areas that requires further strengthening, Pot Hale. I see that a new player by the unusual Irish name of Aki is in the list. Who is this new Irish boy and why has he not been in the headlines of late?
Buk
Guest
Thanks for the article Declan. Yes they caught SA a little bit on the hop with a new coach and team, but certainly showed tremendous resolve and smarts to beat them with only 14 men for the majority of that first test, and the last test with a bit of luck could have gone their way. While it was not a full Irish team, don't forget the men of Munster beat the All Blacks in 1978 :)
Buk
Guest
Thanks for the article Declan. They could SA a little bit on the hop with a new coach and team, but certainly showed tremendous resolve and smarts to beat them with only 14 men for the majority of that first test, and the last test with a bit of luck could have gone their way. While it was not a full Irish team, don't forget the men of Munster beat the All Blacks in 1978 :)
Smell the fear
Guest
Or they could have reached their zenith with nowhere to go but down
Harry Jones
Expert
I was quite impressed with your youngsters. Thanks for the article.
Colm
Roar Guru
Good points Pot Hale, Add in Niall Scannell, John Madigan ( a 124 kg up-and-coming second row) and Sweetnam from Munster.Adam Byrne, Keenan, Peter Dooley and James Tracy from Leinster who looked very good against Bath. I think Tracy along with Scannell can challenge for the hooker position if they continue developing. At scrum half Connacht have some exciting prospects in Cooney and Blade to challenge.
Colm
Roar Guru
Valid points Declan, The under 20's gave us a lot of hope for the potential Irish 2023 World cup. Personally, I think it would be a good idea for some of the guys like Max Deegan, Andrew Porter and Adam McBurney to get some super rugby experience in an academy team and then return to their provinces. It would be much better for their development as players to get some experience/ game time with the likes of the Chiefs/ Lions instead of remaining in Irish academies without playing because their positions are crowded. I don't think Heaslip should get the captaincy. The back row is Ireland's most competitive position and for that reason captaincy should be given to somebody like Henderson, guaranteed of his position. Schmidt has been forced through injury, to give a chance to a lot of guys. Schmidt has been one of Ireland's greatest coaches, but I can't help but feel his conservatism has also cost us a few games (kicking strategy against New Zealand, South Africa and some selections.)
maxxlord
Roar Rookie
I was really impressed by Ireland, especially their 14 man effort in the first game where they were supremely organized and disciplined. Considering the injuries they had, and looking at their u20 side, they seem to be in good shape going forward. Jared Payne was electric and Jackson laid down the challenge for Sexton to return strong from injury. Sexton may even be relieved to see that Jackson can share some of the load.
Derm
Roar Guru
Good write-up Declan. I think one of the other achievements for Schmidt in the past season, although not a particularly successful one, was the blooding of new players and expansion of the squad depth. If I recall correctly, he used 50+ players during the season at test level, and the SA tour gave people like Jackson, Gilroy, Olding, Marshall, Marmion, Bealham, Stander, Roux, O'Halloran and Furlong a chance to burnish their credentials. Schmidt said after the RWC that Ireland were still lacking in depth, and part of his task, along with Nucifora, is to further develop the depth of the squad so that key players are not missed as much. Looking across the full playing positions, there are still one or two gaps that need to be filled out at test level before Japan 2019 rolls around. Hookers - Best (likely to be retired), Cronin, Strauss are the usual suspects. Perhaps Connacht's Tom McCartney, or U20 star Adam McBirney can fit in. It looks weak at the moment. Props - Ross will be gone, but Furlong, Bealham, McGrath, Healy, Buckley, Cronin, Kilcoyne, McCall should be sufficient. U20 A Porter looks a good prospect in the Leinster academy. Locks - Toner, Foley, Henderson, Dillane, M Kearney - may be a bit weak still - Browne, Marshall from Connacht, or U20 captain J Ryan is in 1st year of academy. Back rows - Stander, O'Mahony, O'Donnell, Ruddock, Murphy, Reidy, O'Donoghue, van der Flier, O'Brien, Conan, Copeland Half-backs - Murray, Marmion and..... Luke McGrath?? Gibson Park? - weak in this area too. Out-halves - Jackson, Sexton (ageing), - possibly Johnny Holland, Donaldson Carty, McPhillips - need someone to come through at test level in next 12 months. Centres - Henshaw, Olding, Marshall, McCloskey, Scannell, Aki, Ringrose, Stockdale - points to enough depth Back three - Gilroy, Healy, D Kearney, O'Halloran, Zebo, Earls, Conway, Adelokun - should be sufficient stocks. If Schmidt likely leaves at the end of next season, he'll have created a good legacy both in securing two 6N championships, and in developing the squad further, but he may want to have one more scalp on his belt before he goes - the big one - New Zealand. He's got two chances this November.