Kidney has no wriggle room in Irish scrum
The 19 Irish-qualified props contracted to each of the four provinces are: Connacht — Dennis Buckley, Ronan Loughney, Stewart Maguire, Dylan Rogers, Jamie Stevens, Brett Wilkinson; Leinster — Jamie Hagan, Jack McGrath, Jack O’Connell; Munster — Stephen Archer, Marcus Horan, John Ryan, Darragh Hurley; Ulster — Callum Black, Conor Carey, Jerry Cronin, Declan Fitzpatrick, Adam Macklin, Paddy McAllister.
Even the most optimistic fan would take a lot of convincing that any of the above can solve our scrummaging problems in the short term. The grim fact is that a tiny percentage will be ready to step up to the plate when Ireland travel to New Zealand for a three-match series next June, an exercise that could heap more embarrassment should our set-piece difficulties continue.
The people in the IRFU who agreed to that schedule at a time of year when the players would prefer to be just about anywhere else may have a lot to answer for.
True to form, Kidney didn’t hide behind excuses after Saturday’s desperately disappointing performances. He could have stressed how difficult it would be for a country with Ireland’s limited resources to cope without Brian O’Driscoll and Paul O’Connell and one or two others also ruled out by injury. But that attitude wouldn’t have sat well with a man who has made the building of a strong panel one of his chief aims.
The reality for Kidney is that, unlike the Heineken Cup and most other rugby tournaments, the Six Nations doesn’t provide for three front-row replacements. Even if it did, Ireland would have been hard pressed to find suitable back-up for Ross.
Tony Buckley was brought to the World Cup but hardly given a chance because Kidney, Gert Smal et al had no faith in the man. And there’s been no sight of anyone else since.
No doubt Kidney was correct when claiming “you often learn more from losing than winning” but the Six Nations has come and gone and the abiding memory for most Irish people will be the implosion against the auld enemy on St Patrick’s Day.
We just have to find a front-row trio that can scrummage. Even before Ross departed the scene, we were in deep trouble. Alex Corbisiero, a tighthead with scant reputation as a front-row technician, had Cian Healy in his pocket. Healy is terrific in open play in a side going forward. It’s a different matter when he has to perform the basics in a team constantly on the back foot. Ross clearly had his hands full with Dan Cole, another about whom the critics have hardly been raving.
The best you can say for Court is that it was a blessing he avoided serious injury as the Irish set-piece was reduced to rubble.
The remaining Heineken Cup and RaboDirect Pro 12 matches cannot unearth alternatives given that South Africans Wian du Preez and BJ Botha man the prop positions for Munster while John Afoa, Court, Ross and Healy are the preferred options at Ulster and Leinster.
Leinster’s alternative to Healy is South African Heinke van der Merwe.
Kidney could inject hope for the future by being a little more audacious when choosing his squad for New Zealand. O’Driscoll and O’Connell will both be available and players like Conor Murray, Paul Marshall, Simon Zebo, Fergus McFadden, Eoin O’Malley, Sean Cronin, Peter O’Mahony, Dominic Ryan and Jamie Hagan will be given their head.
New Zealand may not be the place to blood youngsters but that’s the hand the coach has been dealt and he has to start somewhere.
