Road to recovery begins now
Of course, the Magners League is still up for grabs, with both Leinster and Ulster involved in the shake-up. But it isn’t the Heineken Cup and, after all the early promise and a very decent year at provincial and international level, the season has spluttered to an inconsequential close.
The World Cup will take centre stage in the early autumn, but these coming weeks could prove crucial for all of the Irish provinces as they plan for 2007/2008.
Already French and English clubs have splashed out on a number of major southern hemisphere stars, but the Irish provinces have been busy too, even if their cheque book doesn’t go as deep as Toulouse, Biarritz, Leicester, Saracens or Wasps. So what’s the Irish end-of-term report like? And who do they need to break the bank for?
Whisper it, but Leinster folded once more when the heat was really on. They had the opportunity to put all the backbiting to bed in the Heineken Cup quarter final at the Causeway stadium with Wasps down to 14 men. But they failed. To concede 12 points against a side down a man was unacceptable.
Michael Cheika can protest all he wants about the ‘choker’ tag but until such time as Leinster can dig deep in the trenches and do something like a Leicester at Thomond Park, they’re going to face the same charge. Wasps knew that without O’Driscoll, the key was to bottle up Gordon D’Arcy. Leinster had no plan B.
Leinster need to reconstruct their entire front row. They should have tried harder to bring Peter Bracken home from Wasps, but the Offaly man is going to Bristol next season. Cheika says he’s in the market for some Italian and Argentinean props, and his bosses in Leinster may need to dig deep into the coffers to entice a few world class front row scrummagers to Dublin 4.
The return of Shane Jennings and Leo Cullen from Leicester this summer will compliment these overseas’ props and, along with ex-Munster boys Stephen Keogh and Trevor Hogan, the Leinster pack will have a more rugged, nay Munster, look to it.
Jennings and Cullen have captained the Tigers during their stints at Welford Road, so leadership (or lack of) should no longer be an issue or excuse if O’Driscoll is crocked.
Leinster also need a few more home grown players in the pack — ground hogs who know what it’s like to come face to face on a regular basis against the hard grind merchants from Munster, Ulster and Connacht.
A season that never reached the same momentous pitch as last year’s glorious campaign. There were already problems and questions by the time Leicester came to Thomond Park and ended the most famous undefeated run in European rugby.
The loss of Paul O’Connell and Shaun Payne for the Heineken Cup quarter final were hammer blows that a fired-up Llanelli took advantage of.
It might not have helped that Munster had to come together at such short notice before such a crucial game. But the absence of a strike runner and finisher was, again, all to evident.
A back-three finisher and a quality replacement for Trevor Halstead at 12, with the South African likely to return home at season’s end.
Many of the world’s great full backs and wingers are already signed up post-World Cup as Munster are finding to their cost. All Black winger, Dougie Howlett is the latest name mentioned, though he is more likely to opt for the lucrative fields of the Guinness Premiership. It may be that Munster will have to break the bank, but at least the likes of Denis Hurley is coming through.
Halstead’s departure will also cause problems. He’s been one of Munster’s shrewdest overseas signings. It would help to fast-track Tom Gleeson, the Cork Constitution centre who has prospered since his move at club level from 13 to 12. Gleeson is strong and more in the mould of Gordon D’Arcy than a lot of other 12’s.
Don’t forget Keith Earls, an Ireland U20 Grand Slam winner this season who possesses lightning pace and is comfortable on the wing or at centre and he’s a top finisher.
It’s not over yet; the Magners League champions still have an outside chance of claiming a second successive title. But it is an outside chance. Mark McCall insists there were positives this season, but their pathetic away form in Europe is an achilles heel that continues to undermine their ambitions. They beat Toulouse at Ravenhill and then crumbed at Llanelli, home and away before losing at London Irish.
“Europe’s where we need to be,” McCall says, “and it’s where we’re determined to be next season.” The trouble is they don’t stay long.
An out-half to support David Humphreys and Paddy Wallace. Humphreys has signed for another year, but will be close to 36 by season’s end; Wallace hasn’t made the breakthrough, and Adam Larkin is off on his travels. Ian Humphreys opted to sign for another season at Leicester, so that’s really a worry area. The arrival of David Pollock will compensate for the possible move abroad of Neil McMillan.
Academy star Darren Cave is a promising centre, though the arrival of Rob Dewey from Scotland could stunt his development.
Connacht coach Michael Bradley has had to contend with several drawbacks over the last few years, but his side have come up trumps in almost impossible conditions. Treated as a development side, they’ve been pillaged by all and sundry, yet they remain a very competitive side.
A bit more go-forward reaction in Dublin 4, but at least they have fought their corner and have received reasonable enough support from the IRFU. The signing of Tim Donnelly appears to be a big positive, the performance of Ray Ofisa, Connacht’s Player of the Year, is another and the emergence of Daniel Riordan as the Young Player of the Year can’t be half bad either. And with Gavin Duffy home and Mel Deane and Johnny O’Connor also on the way, there is much to look forward to out West.
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