Unfair to make Kidney scapegoat for Aviva shortcomings
I was quickly assured it was all Declan Kidney’s fault. He picked the wrong team, got his tactics askew, made a total bags of the bench and for the third successive meeting of Wales and Ireland, had been out-thought by Warren Gatland. But that rationale hardly does not tally with the fact that few would have chosen a different side. His players missed tackles, goal kicks, catches, etc. Not Declan Kidney.
The more realistic wonder why he doesn’t opt for an all-Munster half-back pairing of Ronan O’Gara and Conor Murray or the Leinster duo Jonathan Sexton and Eoin Reddan. The back-row also came in for special mention. At number eight Jamie Heaslip, a man who hasn’t lived up to his star billing of the 2009 Grand Slam series and the Lions tour of that summer, is only making his presence felt in start-stop mode. Sean O’Brien and Stephen Ferris are terrific rugby players but both are happiest on the blindside.
And yet, Leinster would not be favourites for the Heineken Cup without O’Brien and Heaslip while Ferris has played a huge part in Ulster’s progress.
The absence of Brian O’Driscoll was used as an excuse for our midfield shortcomings. However, you wonder if he could have shored up an area where Jonathan Davies proved an irrepressible force. In attack, Gordon D’Arcy and Fergus McFadden were given little or no chance because of the slow and irregular service that came their way.
D’Arcy helped send Rory Best in for the first try with a lovely pass but he is past his best. It was a difficult day for McFadden who struggled to cope with the giant Welsh midfield attack. Given that Aurelien Rougerie is of similar shape and physicality, he can expect little respite in Paris.
Very few of the Irish pack will look back on Sunday’s game fondly. They simply didn’t deliver, just like last October, but the options open to Kidney weren’t exactly apparent before the game and those who scream loudest about change at seven have yet to come up with an alternative given David Wallace’s absence.
Of course, Peter O’Mahony is an option with O’Brien, Ferris and Heaslip left to fight for the other two back-row places. Remember he would also be a number six for Munster were it not for the injury to Niall Ronan. But bearing in mind the number of back-rowers intimidated by the Parisian atmosphere in their first appearance there, it may not be the stage to blood the promising 22-year-old.
Those expecting Kidney to make drastic alterations for Saturday are way off the money. To prefer Donnacha Ryan to Donncha O’Callaghan in the second-row would be admitting he got the call wrong in the first place and it would be harsh on O’Callaghan.
One of the few areas Ireland edged it against Wales was at the line-out while the Cian Healy-Rory Best-Mike Ross axis also performed adequately at set piece. The three-quarter line must be looked at closely with Keith Earls likely to return. However, don’t be surprised if the side that disappointed against Wales in Wellington in the World Cup and again in the Aviva is given a second chance.
And should Kidney go down that route, he can expect a tirade of abuse from some very familiar quarters.
