Blue sky thinking from Kidney
Yes there are a number of recognisable names from the likes of Gloucester, Saracens, Clermont Auvergne and Toulon, but for the most part they are drawn from teams well removed from the top flight of the game.
Sadly, once again some clubs have made it difficult for their coaching team of Glen Ella, a member of the famous rugby family that illuminated the game in the late 1970s and early 80s, and former All Black captain Mike Brewer, to put out a side of the strength of that which defeated Wales 38-34 in the last World Cup.
It is a shame that people like Napolioni Nalaga (Clermont), Vilimoni Delasau (Montauban), Sireli Bobo (Metro Racing), Maleli Kunavore (Toulouse) and Sisaro Koyamaibole (Sale Sharks) are not available and this evening’s game will be poorer for their absence.
To compound concerns about their scrummaging, Scarlets prop Deacon Manu who made an impressive debut against Scotland last week, is unavailable because of a complication with his wife’s pregnancy.
Nor will they will be helped by the awful weather. As Ella commented after last week’s 23-10 defeat by Scotland at Murrayfield played in very similar conditions: “We’re not good mud runners.”
When it comes to the sevens game, they have few peers but there is unlikely to be any chance for them to display those skills today considering the less than favourable forecast. Nevertheless, the sun shone brightly from a clear sky when the much changed Irish team completed their preparations at the RDS yesterday.
Declan Kidney enthused: “The pitch is in excellent condition and a credit to the ground staff. Hopefully the weather that prevails in other parts of the country won’t hit us because that would be difficult to overcome.”
Furthermore given Fiji had played just six matches since the 2007 World Cup, they didn’t perform too badly in Edinburgh with even the Scots admitting Graeme Morrison’s decisive try was questionable. They should be all the better for that outing and the week together to hone their undoubted footballing skills.
Brewer claimed that: “When we had a little bit of stability, we cut the Scottish team open” and there is no more electrifying sight in world rugby than the Fijians when they click into top gear. Ireland will be anxious to ensure that doesn’t happen and while Kidney made eight changes from the side that gained the late draw against Australia, he certainly couldn’t be accused of fielding a side short in experience and achievement.
The one new cap is out-half Jonathan Sexton. Sexton has merited the honour after all he has achieved in key matches with Leinster.
He will certainly hope that the weather forecasters have got it wrong because a war of attrition up front will do nothing for his ambitions to establish himself as his country’s heir apparent to Ronan O’Gara.
Much the same applies to scrum-half Eoin Reddan even if he already has 16 Irish caps.
Shane Horgan and Gordon D’Arcy will hope to use the occasion to stake their claims for inclusion against South Africa next week while Kidney is keeping his fingers crossed that front rowers Jerry Flannery and John Hayes will benefit from the outing and be back to full match fitness for the clash with the world champions.
Should Ireland have a clear advantage entering the final quarter or so, there is every chance hooker Sean Cronin will be handed a first cap and that Tony Buckley will also get some game time.
It would be fanciful to predict anything other than the continuation of Ireland’s great run of success this year but Fiji are equipped to make a match of it and in doing so allow Kidney learn whether some of those in which he has placed his trust today deserve to go on to even greater things in the future.
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