Looking for a new future with Munster

For Declan Kidney it is a case of ‘back to the future’ with Munster this year as he returns to his spiritual rugby home, but he tells Barry Coughlan that a lot of things have changed since he was there last.

DECLAN KIDNEY’S professional career may have turned full circle, but when Munster begin another season next month it will represent a hugely different coaching challenge.

In eight short years, the ground rules have changed and Kidney is quick to point out the glaring differences between now and the first time he coached Munster.

At the beginning, all Irish provinces played no more than ten matches, a protracted but stop-start season that, from a coaching point of view, was hardly conducive to providing full job satisfaction.

Next season Kidney will oversee Munster’s preparations for at least 28 matches - two warm-up “friendlies”, 20 Celtic League games and six Heineken Cup matches. Kidney hopes there will be more if he leads his side into the knockout stages of the European Cup. Thirty one games would be ideal!

Between the opening fixtures against Northampton (home) and Leicester (away) it will be all go, and after that Kidney will face all kinds of challenges as Munster embark on a non-stop competitive season.

“Side by side with the obvious desire to build and retain a successful side is a requirement to have Irish players up to the standard for international rugby, to have them in good condition both physically and mentally so that they can step up that critical level if required by the national coach,” says Kidney.

The burden of acting as a provider to the national squad is almost bound to bring a level of frustration, but Kidney responds positively. “I think the onus is on us to help the country as much as ourselves.”

Even though Kidney returns to work with a number of familiar faces, familiarity will not breed contempt. After three years with Ireland and one with Leinster, he believes the break was a good thing. “Everyone tries to improve themselves, and hopefully I’ve picked up a few new ideas along the way,” he says.

In addition, Kidney will be working with some new coaching personnel now. Niall O’Donovan is gone, Brian Hickey remains but Jim Williams, Graham Steadman, amongst others, will be new faces from a coaching point of view.

His philosophy is that coaching teams should be as big as they need to be, but as small as possible. “It’s good to have a tightly-knit coaching team, but there will always be room for various experts to come in and lend a hand. It’s nice to know that such people are available and willing to work with the team when required.”

Teamwork is high on Kidney’s list of requirements to mould a successful side. Good housekeeping is as much imperative in coaching as it is in playing the game, he reckons.

“People can get a bit hung up on titles. We (the coaches) have sorted out amongst ourselves the way we would like to approach the job, but that will inevitably evolve as the season goes on.”

But, for instance, wasn’t Graham Steadman brought into the Munster set-up specifically as a defensive coach? Again, Kidney puts a different spin on that. “Usually, guys who know how to defend, know how to attack as well,” he remarks.

“You look around and try to get the best available people with individual expertise in different areas, but it’s our job then to make a team of ourselves to facilitate what the players want to do, and facilitate exactly what they are capable of.

“The game is multi-faceted and I don’t want to departmentalise our approach to the game. It’s not so much that the departments won’t be looked after; the challenge is in the areas between the departments. That’s where you could stand or fall.”

As the start of the season gets closer, Kidney’s excitement is palpable. He is looking forward to many things, and not just the prospects of Munster conquering Celtic league or European opponents.

He speaks enthusiastically of the challenge of bringing younger players through the ranks and into the top league.

“I suppose part of the reason for having a bigger coaching staff is the requirement to produce more home-grown players; to benefit from the expertise of the more experienced players around them.

“Take the case, for instance, of Marcus (Horan) and Donncha (O’Callaghan), who were able to play alongside guys like Peter (Clohessy) and Mick (Galwey). You can’t coach what they would have learned from that experience. In fairness to Marcus and Donncha, they showed a huge willingness to serve their apprenticeship, and I would like to think they are now reaping the benefits.

“In the same way, we need to have young players in a position to do exactly the same, only now it’s the likes of Marcus and Donncha who will be passing on the tips.

“It’s a cycle in a sense, and that’s why I keep emphasising the necessity for teamwork right through the squad from players to coaches and back again,” he says.

There have been critics of the Celtic League, but Kidney is a supporter. “The great thing is that it is a 20 game league and the best team comes out on top. You have to be consistent throughout the year.

“It’s a measure of the strength in depth of the squad. There are no meaningless games because it gives qualification for Europe and, I suppose, the only thing that’s wrong with the league is the perception that clubs have to field weakened teams at certain stages of the competition.

“I don’t look upon it that way. We live with a squad system and those chosen for any squad are entitled to get match time; there would be no point in signing players if you felt they weren’t good enough to play.

“Sure, circumstances might dictate that you can’t pick the exact team you want for given matches, but other participants, and teams in the Zurich Premiership, rotate on a regular basis. That’s the way it should be, and it really is a test of the squad as a whole.”

The rotation system is there for another reason too. While the IRFU has set guidelines to limit the number of games top players have to play each season, there are factors outside their control.

This year, for instance, 11 Irishmen toured with the Lions. Even though it’s a tough, energy-sapping game, a four weeks summer break seems criminally short. The Irish players who toured to Japan got less than three.

OK, they will have to be back at base within the required time frame, but Kidney is conscious that cognisance will have to be taken of special needs from time to time.

“Guys can’t play all year round, and that’s another reason why you need a big squad, so that during the season you can give guys a break, give them some down time without them being injured at the same time.

“The situation is what it is, so it’s important to manage the players in a positive way. Rest is a huge component in the make-up of player fitness, and I’m conscious that there will be periods when people will have to be rested up to maximise their potential. That way, everyone benefits.”