It’s been a difficult week for the Irish rugby team and for head coach Declan Kidney in particular after the disappointing defeat to a poor Scotland side.

During the week, Emmet Byrne, Reggie Corrigan, Shane Horgan and Keith Wood all had their say regarding Kidney’s future and his decision-making regarding the No 10 position.

The No 10 selection issue

Kidney has received some flak for choosing the inexperienced Paddy Jackson from the start against Scotland. The Ulster fly-half struggled, kicking one from four, before being replaced by Ronan O'Gara in the second half:

 

Emmet Byrne: “Whether we blame him or not, Kidney is going to get the rap – that’s the bottom line. But I don’t think you should isolate him in this situation. It was always going to be tough to beat Scotland given the depletion and the confidence going into it. With Ronan O’Gara he probably felt that he wasn’t guaranteed to win it.”

 

Shane Horgan: “I don’t think he has handled [the No 10 issue] well. The idea of bringing Paddy Jackson in, leapfrogging Ronan O’Gara - who has a 120-odd caps - put that much pressure on such a young guy who according to his own provincial coach was not fully developed as a player to play for Ireland. Now that Declan has put Jackson in such a position, he owes a duty of care to him because that could really shake the confidence of a young player. Jackson wasn’t in a position to kick goals and run a back line in a very inexperienced team. It was unfair to ask him. To put him in and jump Ronan, did not make any sense to me.

“A cynical thought does jump in your head because it was Declan backing himself and making sure he was in a position where he really couldn’t fail. But ultimately he did because it went as badly as it could have.”

 

Keith Wood: “I think Declan backed himself into a corner when he didn’t bring either Ian Madigan or Ian Keatley into the squad. I actually think he had to pick Paddy Jackson because he and Ronan - who had played very badly the previous week and is 36-years of age - were the two guys that he had sitting in the squad. Of course Kidney has to bear some of the blame for this."

Declan Kidney's future

Reggie Corrigan: “The Irish structure needs to be very careful about not making a knee jerk reaction and just going for it for the sake of it. There’s got to be a carefully planned successor put in place there, who can bring the team forward, and you’re not just thinking about two years, you’ve got to be thinking about the four year period from now on.

“It’s one of the top eight jobs in the world so it takes a certain type of coach and they’re few and far between at the moment.”

 

Shane Horgan: “At the moment there is no argument because he goes through to the end of the Six Nations. What is vital is that there is a caucus after this Six Nations between Kidney, his management team, the IRFU and players to find out what the feelings are and what the thought process is. We can recognise the mistakes he has made but we don’t know what the feeling is for him or his game plan. That can only be divulged by talking to the players. But I don’t think he is going to stay on.”

 

Keith Wood: “I think it is very unlikely that he will keep his job. He has been around for a long time and he did win a Grand Slam. That was four years ago. Highlighted by the big loss in the summer and the fact that we haven’t performed at the moment, it would be very hard for him to keep his job.

"I think Gert Smal is a good forwards coach and Les Kiss is a good coach, but sometimes you need to have a change. But there is a changing of the guard among the players anyway and with two matches to go in the Six Nations, it is incumbent on Kidney to make the changes for the future himself. We would like to win the remaining games, but of far greater importance is building something solid with an eye to the future.”

 

Emmet Byrne: “First of all you have to identify the correct coach for the job and understand the Irish psyche for that job. As a coach they would have to fundamentally understand the strengths and weaknesses of Irish rugby. It’s harder than you think to get the right coach for this job. That will stand in Kidney’s favour. I think Les Kiss and Gert Smal are excellent coaches, so if they go along with Kidney, you’re going to have a hell of a hard time trying to replace them. That’s the strengths going for Kidney. Having said that, there has to be some level of change within the setup and I would argue that rather than rushing into it, maybe we should look at getting an interim coach until the timing is right to get the right guy.”

 

©INPHO/James Crombie