What if a 10-year-old Kieran Donaghy had been introduced to a rugby ball?
Because it’s at me. Again. In Ireland, we endeavour to be the best in the world at rugby with a population of between four and five million. That is really driven home when you live in a country of 60 million like France.
New Zealand’s population is similar to our own. Their culture is different though. Ours is more diverse, but theirs is different. Different in a good way if you want to excel at rugby. At the 11am school bell, they run out and play touch rugby. At the 1pm bell, they run out and play touch rugby. After school they run out and play full-on rugby.
Depending on what school you attend in Ireland, it could be rugby, hurling, gaelic football, or soccer is your major. The talent pool is shallow in strict rugby terms, but look at Croke Park in September and you are reminded of the breadth of sporting abilities we have in Ireland. You are reminded too when we are struggling at the business end of the World Cup for the want of a depth of footballing talent.
In such fanciful moments, I look over the fence at the Kerry fellas — perhaps. Because they are also Munster qualified. Paul Galvin’s mentality would be suited to rugby. Could you imagine if a 10-year-old Kieran Donaghy was introduced to a rugby ball? Tomás Ó Se would make a great 7, in fact an outstanding 7 if he trained for it. He wouldn’t be a bad hooker either. Look at the scope Sean Cavanagh in Tyrone would give you. It goes on.
I appreciate in a small country of laudable sporting ecumenism, to encourage a funnel-like approach between the ages of 15-22 is unrealistic. But then so too is the belief Ireland can and should be reaching World Cup semi- finals or finals. Until and unless such time the best teenage players are channelled in a particular direction for a particular purpose, Ireland will always lose out in the numbers game for rugby.
And the struggle to create tries and moments of magic is a logical extension of that. When the likes of an O’Driscoll retires, when we lost front line players for World Cup quarter-finals, you tend to see the depth — or not — of Ireland’s rugby talent pool. Over the last five internationals, three in the RWC and two in the Six Nations, Ireland has accumulated six tries.
The most recent of those defeats in Paris still rankles. Had we the leaders and line-breakers at 9-3 on the pitch to drive home the advantage? We did not. I said on TV afterwards, Ireland remind me of Munster back in the day, when we built the score in threes — 3-0, 6-0, 9-0. You don’t win international tests like that. You must reward the forwards by getting one, two or three seven-pointers and cut the oxygen supply to the flagging opposition.
We are at a moment in time — without the depth of alternatives — where Robbie Henshaw is still finding his feet at international level and Jared Payne’s presence is imposing. But in terms of attacking threat, midfield creativity is not something we can rely on. Henshaw can pass beautifully off both hands, but who is hitting the gain line at pace? I don’t see much emphasis on Ireland’s back play at this moment in time. Look at the Wales game and assess who was more dangerous behind the scrum? The return of Keith Earls and Simon Zebo at Twickenham tomorrow can only help in that regard. Hence the envious glance at our sister codes in Ireland and the sense of ‘what if...’ And ‘why not?’ Karmichael Hunt did it between AFL and Super 15. Trust me, it is possible, but it needs to kick in at an age that facilitates the sort of nuanced development required for union.
My mother-in-law kept me posted this week on the big buzz around Cork for the CBC-PBC Munster Schools Cup semi-final, which was great to hear because it felt like it had ebbed for a few years. If the schools game drifts, we are in grave danger of diluting the one consistent supply-line we have in club and provincial rugby.
am thinking Munster’s long-term survival here too. It’s only when get into professional coaching, you fully appreciate the advancement players can make in the right sort of environment. When I was a player, I had a mentality of play the game as best you can on a Saturday, rest and train with a view to the next game.
These days, every day, you can improve greatly between games with the right exercises and technical advice. Giving the player the environment to be the best he can be.
I am fascinated watching Barcelona, and their brilliant, ruthless drive for perfection. I don’t think at any stage of Tuesday night’s victory over Arsenal did Barca not think they were going to win the game. The epitome of that is Andres Iniesta, and it’s a core value that courses through the team and everything they do. Iniesta has brought footballing perfection to bear on his side. Doing the simple things well every time, but always keeping possession. What a machine he is. Same as what Dan Carter does. Simple execution. Rugby is still, at best, the third choice game behind GAA and perhaps soccer among the masses in Ireland, but when it’s played well, it’s a great bloody game. You could say the same about hurling. I’m not sure about Gaelic football. You find yourself searching amongst the rubble for bits of style there. There is substance for sure, real substance to Donegal’s All-Ireland win in 2013.
You get what you deserve. Jimmy McGuinness and his players did something remarkable to win that All-Ireland. If you are in the dressing room, all you crave is victory. That is the difference between the fans and the player. It requires a special type of athlete to do that. Imagine Michael Murphy at full-back for Ireland?
Attitude plus quality makes any side almost impossible to beat. Barcelona are so driven, are possessed of such a huge work rate even when they were 1-0 up at Arsenal they didn’t shift gears downwards, but went for the jugular. Suarez hit the post and should have scored.
How much of the latter will Ireland bring to Twickenham tomorrow? The same might be asked of leadership? If they are hesitant, Ireland will take a battering. But why would they limp into English HQ? They are the champions of the last two years, they let a 13-point lead slip against Wales. They let France off the hook. Both within their own gift to rectify. Perhaps there’s a sense of a crossroads about tomorrow, but it could still be one of their biggest wins — and momentum swingers — of recent times. The English are defensively strong and look a facsimile of Saracens and the Paul Gustard philosophy. But they wouldn’t beat New Zealand, Australia or South Africa, so they are within our compass of expectation. I don’t expect a great game, mind, and in that respect, they may outlast Ireland.
Tonight, France go to Cardiff with five changes from the side that squeaked past Ireland, and feature another new pairing at half-back. It will be some baptism for Plisson at 10, and Racing’s Maxime Machenaud — spectacular against Ireland — is rewarded at scrum-half.
Irrespective, the Top 14 trundles on. Last week we saw the full range of Bernard Jackman and Mike Prendergast’s work at Grenoble. A full house at their soccer stadium, 18,500 folk watched Racing outscore the hosts 39-35. The two lads have them playing with a lot of intensity and a lot of width.
An interesting player is their centre Chris Farrell, who left the Irish Academy system and is a dark horse to wear his country’s colours before too long.
Every option helps, after all.
- Ronan O’Gara will feature as one of our special guests at The Everyman in Cork next Thursday, March 3 when the Irish Examiner presents ‘Inside the Sporting Mind’— an unique gathering of our writers and columnists. The evening features Liam Brady in conversation with Liam Mackey, O’Gara face-to-face with Donal Lenihan and Ruby Walsh with Tommy Lyons. These will be followed by a panel discussion. The event starts @ 8pm. Tickets are on sale for €25 per ticket. Visit everymancork.com.
