Reddan finally lands a shot at the big time
Reddan is backed up against a wall in the team hotel, which could be a metaphor for where Ireland are at the moment. But, for the man of the moment, it must be a liberating feeling to be finally first-choice in his position.
His electric form for his club during the knockout stages of last season’s Heineken Cup catapulted him into serious reckoning as Stringer’s number two, but the Limerick man, who has won three caps so far, had to wait for the second test in Argentina to make his first Ireland start. The Pumas won 16-0 and it was difficult for any players to extract any positives from a forgettable night in Buenos Aires. From Reddan’s perspective, his international future didn’t look rosy.
He won’t admit it, but he was perceived as third choice coming to France until yesterday’s surprising announcement that he had leapfrogged Stringer’s deputy in Bordeaux, Isaac Boss, and parachuted in to save Ireland’s World Cup in the Stade de France.
“I’ve never been told straight out I’m third choice,” explained Reddan.
“In today’s rugby landscape, there’s lots of different ways of picking squads and picking teams. I’ve always had frank chats with the coaching staff and they’ve always been very honest. I’ve never had any reason to drop my head from what they’ve said to me — they’ve always been very positive to me — not even now, but over the last 12 months/two years.
“It’s just a matter of keep working hard and waiting for a few breaks and, hopefully, something would happen.”
He and Jerry Flannery room together in Bordeaux and while you could theorise that they became bewildered with team selection for the first two pool games, it would appear to be a happier sleeping quarter now. Flannery also makes his first RWC start, but the 26-year-old Reddan says he never even thought that way.
“I’d worry about that sitting at home at the end of the World Cup if I hadn’t got it,” he says. “It wouldn’t even enter my head out here. It’s just about training hard and putting oneself in a position to be selected.”
Peter Stringer was one of the first to congratulate him and wish him all the best.
“I get on quite well with Peter and that will continue. He has been immense for Ireland for a long time, but I don’t worry about that. I just need to worry about my own game. He has produced some big performances and it’s a lot to live up to. But this team has to live up to itself. We’ve some big performances in the past and, hopefully, we can do that again at the weekend.”
Because of his lack of international experience, Reddan says he will need to draw on his Heineken Cup form that saw him play a pivotal role in May’s final win in Twickenham.
“You have to draw on things. I’ve had a lot of big games this year and it’s great to think it’s getting bigger. That’s a natural progression for any rugby player. That’s the way you want it.”
Frustrated by a lack of opportunity at Munster, ironically because of Stringer’s good form there, he moved to London Wasps at the beginning of the 2005/06 season. He had to sit patiently behind Matt Dawson (now retired), but even the former England World Cup-winning scrum-half has been in touch over the last few days offering advice.
“I do speak to him. He’s a great guy, a good player and I think I learnt a lot from Matt when he was there and from the coaches at Wasps. When I went to Wasps, I started playing more rugby really. That was basically it. I spent a lot of time on the bench with Munster, but I’ve played a lot more rugby since. I think that’s the main cause. It’s a different job description when you’re playing as to when you’re not playing.”
He has been described as quite a “mouthy scrum-half”, but he’s just looking forward to Friday’s challenge.
“Mouthy? That’s for other’s to say. I just play my own game and I know what Eddie wants from me. That’s clear in my mind. It’s a big game and we’ll all enjoy it. That’s what we train and work hard for.”
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