Eddie’s scrum-half dilemma rages on
While the issue hasn’t assumed the proportions of the Ollie Campbell/Tony Ward controversy, there is no lack of debate.
Reddan is in pole position after promising performances in the Six Nations, yet ironically his change of circumstance may be due to Stringer’s number one berth with Munster.
A few years back the Limerick native felt he had no future with his home province because of Stringer’s form and went cross channel to further his career with London Wasps. The rest is history.
Reddan was central to Wasps’ Heineken Cup success last year leaving O’Sullivan with no alternative but to include Reddan in his World Cup plans. This is how the coach explained his decision to name Reddan ahead of Stringer last year.
“It’s a tough one because Peter has been a stalwart of the team but I think he hasn’t been on top of his game and has been struggling a wee bit. We brought Eoin Reddan in because he’s capable of playing the game we want to play.
“We know what Peter brings to the party and he does it very well when he’s on top of his game. But he’s not the old Peter Stringer. I know he will bounce back from this. It’s often the making of a player. The really competitive players use it as a springboard to prove everyone wrong. Others will run and hide but I know Peter Stringer will bounce back from this. He’s been the heartbeat of the team many times and will be again.”
That was then. This is now.
Stringer will read those words again and feel a little hard done by. He has indeed bounced back, playing a huge role in Munster’s run to the European Cup quarter-finals.
Wasps were one of their opponents. They won the first meeting of the sides at the Ricoh Stadium in Coventry. The battle of the scrum-halves that evening was largely 50-50.
But Munster were decisive winners of the second game in appalling conditions at Thomond Park and Stringer’s supporters felt their man held the edge on that occasion.
In truth, both have performed to a very high standard since the World Cup and probably the one fair summation is that Reddan still holds the upper-hand because he is the man in possession and has done little wrong and most things right.
The argument goes: Reddan lends greater attacking potential because of his ability to break quickly and decisively in almost every situation and from every part of the pitch. Stringer may be lacking in this respect. However, his admirers insist, a scrum-half’s primary function is to pass the ball quickly and decisively and so offer those outside the extra crucial split second. There is nobody better equipped to do that than Stringer, certainly not Reddan who, claim his detractors, takes one step and sometimes even two before getting the ball away.
For now, Reddan is Ireland’s number nine and faces his latest examination at Croke Park this afternoon. Because of the telling breaks he made against Italy and France, the emphasis has been mainly on this aspect of his game.
But he readily accepts that there are several other facets to a scrum-half’s job, especially at this exalted level.
“For a scrum-half these days, it’s not just about breaking,” he reasoned. “If there’s an opportunity, like any other number on the pitch, you take it and otherwise you do your job. I pass the ball until I see something and then I take it if it’s there but I wouldn’t go into a game planning on breaking by any stretch of the imagination. If breaks are there, you need to take them but it certainly can’t be the main part of your game.”
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