Ruddock raising the bar
Ruddock assembles his squad for a one-day debrief tomorrow following Ireland’s dramatic 13-12 win over France in the RBS Under-20 SixNations, a first win for the age-group on French soil and one which followed on the heels of an opening victory over Wales.
“It was a great win but it wasn’t perfect,” Ruddock said, mindful of the three remaining games in the current campaign and the 2012 IRB Junior World Championship in South Africa this June.
“When you’re away from home you sometimes need to dig in and win with some courage but there’s certainly some things they can improve on and we’ll continue to try and do that and not just get carried away with that win.”
That said, Ruddock is able to see the significance of the victory, not just for this campaign but on a longer-term basis for this current crop of Under-20s.
“It’s a significant win and one they’re very proud of and were very pleased with after the game but we have to realise as well that France didn’t play last week, their game against Italy was called off and so they could have been 20 or 30 per cent better with another game under their belts.
“We’ve got three more games to go so I think it would be wrong of us to pat ourselves on the back. We’re still in the middle of a championship so we’ve got bank this one, take it and enjoy the moment but once we’ve done that it will be all about the next game and not wasting that effort.”
Last year’s Irish side had been beaten handily by the French in Athlone by six tries to one but 12 months on Ruddock has had to make fewer changes in personnel, found more cohesion and as a result, a greater team spirit. Paddy Jackson is one of the constants, and the Ulster fly-half is now captain, making a big impression on former Leinster and Wales coach Ruddock.
“This is Paddy’s second season in the Under-20s.
“He came to us with a very good reputation and he’s grown as a person and a player and 12 months on he’s put on some muscle mass.
“He’s a very, very good out-half, tactically and mentally. He brings the centres into the game well on the gain line and he also knows when to move it wider, so he’s a good tactical brain, he mixes up his game well and he has a nice little kicking game and the main thing he has to work on is kicking his goals. But he’s definitely a player of huge potential, very brave and very talented.”
Jackson is not the only one, though and Ruddock believes the opportunities for his young stars to make a lasting impact on the game are greater now than ever before.
“I think the academies now are more established than they were and there are going to be possibly more opportunities for more guys to kick on now in the professional game in the next five to 10 years than perhaps there were for this golden generation we’ve had in the last 10 years.
Even Brian O’Driscoll can’t play on forever and there are going to be opportunities for more guys to put their hands up and try to make their mark.
“We always knew the Ireland team was going to have Ronan O’Gara, Paul O’Connell, Brian O’Driscoll in it but they’re all going to need replacing. Brendan Macken and Andrew Conway were in last year’s Under-20 side and they’ve made the provincial debuts and some of these guys in this side are emerging stars for the future.
“I don’t want to single out players individually but at the end of the campaign I will give my thoughts to the IRFU and Declan Kidney, who’s very supportive of the Under-20s, and if guys have played well I’m sure they’ll come to their attention.”
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