Kidney calls on Irish to display spirit of provinces

Ireland coach Declan Kidney has charged his players with repeating their Heineken Cup heroics on French soil when they bid to land an all too rare Six Nations victory in Paris on Sunday.

Despite the claims of a number of players whose contributions off the bench helped Ireland eventually overcome a sloppy opening half and deliver a five-try to one victory last weekend, Kidney resisted the pundits’ clamour for change and yesterday unveiled an unchanged team from Saturday’s 42-10 victory over Italy at the Aviva Stadium for this weekend’s rearranged fixture against France.

Ireland revisit the French capital for the second time in four weeks with the aim of beating France there for the first time since 2000. Why victory in Paris has eluded the Irish for so long — the last victory prior to that famous day at Stade de France came back in 1972 at Stade Colombes — has been a source of confusion, particularly in the last decade when Ireland have been so competitive in the Six Nations.

And to add to the befuddlement are the strong showings of the Irish provinces in France during several Heineken Cup campaigns, with just this season Munster beating Castres in Toulouse, Leinster drawing in Montpellier and Ulster very nearly storming fortress Stade Michelin in putting it up to Clermont Auvergne.

So it is natural enough in seeking to squeeze that extra motivation out of his players and at the same time not to repeat the mistakes and “over exuberance” of Saturday’s first half against the Italians, that Kidney chose to play the provinces card when naming his team.

“We played a fair bit of rugby, especially in the first bit but it was all on our side of the halfway line and then that allowed Italy two shots at goal early on. It was only when we started getting more of a foothold in the second half that the attack came out,” Kidney said.

“You have so much energy going into a match, you just want to make sure that you use it in the right areas.

“Rugby can be a simple enough game if you want to make it so. There’s a better chance usually for scoring if you’re starting inside their half rather than outside. But you have to have the courage sometimes to go after it as well. Do you go after it early on, from the first minute — sometimes the first ball you get will be the best you’ll get all match. So you have to have the courage to be open to that but also the wisdom to know when maybe you’re better off getting a bit of field position.

“You take a look at the Heineken results this year. I think Jonny [Sexton] kicked a penalty to get a good draw against Montpellier, ‘Rog’ [Ronan O’Gara] kicked a drop goal against Castres to get a good win and Ulster had a tough day in Clermont but a very good performance.

“We have to try and match all those three and use that experience against the 14 teams that they select from. It’s a measure between having the courage to go after it but the wisdom to know when.”

Kidney believes cool and wise heads have won it for the provinces and wants to see those in the zone for Ireland from the first whistle rather than risk the sort of sloppy start which did not hurt Ireland against the Italians but which will potentially prove to be catastrophic against a dangerous if misfiring French side.

Still referencing those three games in France for the provinces, he added: “I can’t remember the specifics of each match but I remember we had to come from behind sometimes early on so that means you really need to be sharp at the very start.

“What is sharp? If you win the toss, do you take kick-off? Or do you take receipt? That will decide which half you end up in. What’s the referee’s first decision going to be? Are you going to end up with a set-piece in their half or not, and depending where you end up with that first phase that can decide the nature of how you go after a game, or whether you actually go for the throat first.

“That’s the challenge of it, that you just need to be mentally calm going out with the decision-makers to say ‘right, this is where we are’, but have to have so much adrenaline built up inside you too to make sure you’re up for the physical side of it. That’s quite a mixture of the body to cope with.

“I think that’s where the challenge is and nowhere more so than in Test rugby.”