Gwent’s gain as Kidney rejects IRFU offer
After much deliberation, Kidney has turned down an offer from the IRFU to become Performance Manager - Age Grade Rugby as well as coach of the Irish U21 side and opted to concentrate on enhancing his stature as one of the top coaches in the game.
He will continue as assistant coach of the Irish team and will tour South Africa next month, seeing out his contract with the Union before taking over in Gwent in July.
He is It is expected to commute from Cork to Newport over the two years. He attended the Dragons recent game against Cardiff and clearly liked what he saw at Rodney Parade. They are still in with a chance of winning the Celtic League under coach Mike Ruddock, formerly of Leinster, who moves on to the top job in Wales next season.
It is obviously a wrench for Kidney to leave Ireland, where he has enjoyed such success with both Munster and the national team.
He acknowledged: “Rugby in Ireland is thriving and obviously as an Irishman, I sincerely hope that continues. But we won’t be copying Munster here, every region in the world has its own identity and we don’t want to mix them up. I was very fortunate eight years ago when my school PBC gave me leave of absence to further my ambitions as a rugby coach and this is another opportunity to do that. When I got the call, it was one I didn’t want to miss out on.”
Hardly surprisingly, the Dragons experienced a number of teething troubles at the beginning of the season as the game in Wales adjusted to the regional set-up.
Newport joined with Ebbw Vale and after teething problems, harmony was gradually restored and all the indications are that the future of rugby in this hotbed of the game in South Wales is bright.
Leigh Jones, the current Newport club coach, is likely to accept the position as Kidney’s assistant. Andy Marinos, a regular in the centre for Newport and the Dragons for many years, is retiring as a player and taking over as chief executive.
“I grew up at a time when Welsh rugby was at its pinnacle,” said Kidney. “I was reared on the great Welsh teams and players so this appointment is an honour and a fantastic opportunity to coach one of the Welsh regions. When I was looking around the stadium a few weeks ago, I was impressed by the camaraderie and attitude of the players. There is a great structure at the club and the players have an obvious ability and potential to go and achieve better things. It is up to me to bring that out of them. All sports are cyclical and when you are on a downer, it only makes it all the better and more exciting when you are back up there again.
“My role here is to fulfil the potential of the players and the team. I know some of them from my time with Munster. I have had a few conversations with Mike Ruddock and he has told me about the problems at the start of the season and I hope I will have some more time with him over the next few weeks. The Dragons are in the top three in the Celtic League and still with a chance of being right at the top and of course no matter what happens, they have already qualified for Europe.”
One of the stars of the squad is the brilliant South African Percy Montgomery who has another year to run on his contract. Kidney will be glad to have a man of his experience and another Springbok great Bobby Skinstad at his disposal but warned: “Any players we bring in must be the type to improve the team rather than build the team around them. This is obviously a whole new challenge for me and a new learning curve. There is a wonderful rugby tradition in this area that I can personally relate to. There is also a tremendous atmosphere at Rodney Parade which is blessed with passionate fans and people very knowledgeable about the game, people who just want to see good rugby.”
One of the most famous matches involving Munster when Kidney was at the helm took place at Rodney Parade in 2001. Newport jumped into a big lead in the first-half and were still in a commanding position entering the final 20 minutes when Munster, inspired by Ronan O’Gara’s tour de force, hit back for an amazing 39-24 victory.
A huge Munster contingent attended the game and conducted themselves in such an outstanding manner that the Newport chief chairman and financial supporter Tony Brown subsequently wrote to the Munster Branch to express his admiration and appreciation.
Brown hasn’t forgotten the part played by Kidney in that memorable occasion and last night enthused: “Mike Ruddock did a great job for us after all the problems at the start of the season. Thankfully, we have been able to acquire another great coach in Declan Kidney and hopefully he can pick up from where Mike left off. We had applications from all over the world from some very good candidates but Declan was the man we always wanted.”
So Kidney will be working in an environment where there is widespread recognition of what he has achieved in the game. Tony Brown retains hold of the purse strings and expressed the ambition to see the Dragons become “one of the most complete teams in Europe.”
But on this point, Kidney was adamant: “As a coach, all you can do is prepare the players and they must do it on the field. Like any job, you hope to make a difference and leave things in a better condition when you leave.”
The IRFU insisted last night that they had done all they could to keep Kidney and now wished him all the best.
They will immediately set about filling the position of Performance Manager-Age Grade Rugby and appointing a coach to the U21s.
Meanwhile, Scottish coach Matt Williams could be on the verge of luring ex-Leinster forwards coach, Willie Anderson, over to Scotland with the offer of a job as forwards coach to the national side. Sources say the Ulster man is interested in resuming his relationship with Williams, and has already been to Scotland. Anderson has a year left on his Leinster contract.
IRB U21 WORLD CUP DRAW: Friday, June 11 - Ireland v Tonga, Glasgow, 5pm; Tuesday, June 15 - Argentina v Ireland, Dumbreck, 5pm; Saturday, June 19 - Ireland v France, Edinburgh, 1.30.
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