Ireland on a hiding to nothing

DEEP DOWN, Ireland’s new coach Declan Kidney knows that nothing less than a decisive Irish victory over Canada in the first of the three Guinness November internationals at Thomond Park this evening will herald the end of the honeymoon era of his leadership, almost before it has begun.

Typically, and no doubt wisely, Kidney wasn’t for getting ahead of himself at his final press conference yesterday. But the Canadians, ranked 16th in the world and attempting to rebuild for the umpteenth time under their new coach, the former All Black full-back Kieran Crowley, should be there for the taking, all the more so because Ireland are putting out a side not very far removed from the best available at this moment in time.

The series of matches involving the top sides from both hemispheres over the next three or four weeks will have a vital bearing on the seedings for Rugby World Cup in New Zealand in 2011, and that’s one good and valid reason why Kidney isn’t taking any chances with this evening’s team.

“That issue certainly spices the game up a bit because of the vagaries of the qualifying system and that’s not totally within our control,” he acknowledged.

“All we can do is win this game but we’re fully aware that we could win all three games in November and still slip down the rankings. And that’s so far outside our control that all we can do is focus in on this game.”

He has omitted Ryan Caldwell from the replacements panel, meaning he sends out a squad without a recognised second-row on the bench. Instead, Alan Quinlan and David Wallace have been given preference, with John Hayes and Rory Best up front and Peter Stringer, Paddy Wallace and Shane Horgan also set to join the action at some stage.

Kidney expects to see “a lot of activity in and around the breakdown, and that makes for a few extra loose forwards. We have enough cover for the second-row if needs be.”

In many ways, the coach, his new back-up team and the players are on a bit of a hiding to nothing this evening. They are damned if they don’t run up a healthy number of points and if they duly do so, will be roundly told that they weren’t up against a whole lot anyway. But as Kidney and his assistant coach Alan Gaffney have been at pains to point out all week, they must treat the Canucks with due respect.

“We have seen footage of their game against Portugal and while it gives us a bit of an insight to their style, there isn’t too much on the personnel that will be playing against us,” said Kidney. “They have travelled with a big panel and were blooding younger guys in Lisbon. We’ve been concentrating more on the games they’ve played in the Churchill Cup and World Cup to see the kind of pressure they put on teams there.

“We’ve thrown an awful lot of information at the players and they’ve been soaking it up. I just hope they’ll go out and try to be themselves and remember what got them here. It will be like every game, it will be won and lost in the collisions and that’s the part we need to get right and the bit I’m looking forward to seeing.”

Only too conscious of the torrential rain that lashed the new stadium for much of yesterday, and with more of the same forecast for today, Kidney is anxious that his vastly more experienced players will adapt quickly and wisely to whatever the elements may come up with.

“In any given game, it’s all about playing smart,” he stressed. “There’s the way you’d like to play and there’s the smart way of playing and I’m hoping that we play the smart way because what’s important today is that we win. And if that’s 3-0, then it’s 3-0, and if we have to play accordingly, that’s the way we’ll go about our business.

“The weather is the same for both sides. With the skills the teams have, they’ll be well able to run it but it’s the times that they pick and choose to do so, the quality of the ball at the break down, trying to stay on their feet at the breakdown — and that’s going to be difficult because the pitch will be greasy — that’s what is important.

“It’s going to be an extra challenge on the skills of the players. These conditions can give the defence the upper hand. It’s like having an extra man in defence because ball handling becomes more precarious, you have to give a half step running on to the ball, so you deepen your attacking line by a half step, and obviously the defensive line becomes a half step more forward and catches you in behind the gain line unless you’re very sharp. That’s what the weather does, it can make attack more of a challenge.”

WHEN all is said and done, though, this is a game that Ireland must win comprehensively if they are to have any chance a week later against the All Blacks. Kidney believes one of the best ways for that to come to pass is for the players to go out there today and enjoy themselves.

“It’s about being themselves and just going out and enjoying it.” he said. “I do believe that gives you the best chance in sport. If you’re going to be tied up in yourself, it just inhibits your skills. I want them to go out and back themselves. They’ve worked really hard and if you’re going to work that hard, you deserve to allow yourself to enjoy it”.

All too true — except that there won’t be that much fun around Limerick later tonight if the Canadians haven’t been put away by a sizeable number of points after a performance befitting a side with pretensions of being classified 8th or better in the IRB rankings within the next month.