February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Connacht now have to go to Wales for the retun leg to try and overturn the defecit. The way the whole of Irish rugby is going at the minute, there are few who would bet on them doing so.
Connacht were blown away by a convincing first-half performance from the Ospreys. Despite going behind to an early Mark McHugh penalty, the Welsh side simply tore Connacht apart for the rest of the half, running in three tries without reply. Matt Lacey managed to go over just before halftime to make the score 22-8 at the break and give the home side some semblance of a chance, but they had to wait until injury time at the end of a very scrappy and up to then scoreless second half to add to their total.
IRISH IN LIONS’ PARTY
Despite an ultimately disappointing Six Nations campaign and yet another heartbreaking Heineken Cup denouement, Ireland have still managed to take a quarter of the seats on the plane to New Zealand for the Lions tour in the summer, including captain Brian O’Driscoll. In the backs, Ronan O’Gara, Gordan D’Arcy, Shane Horgan and Geordan Murphy all got their expected call-ups, but there was also a pleasant surprise in the addition of Denis Hickie. As for the forwards, Shane Byrne, Malcolm O’Kelly and Paul O’Connell would have been disappointed not to have been included, and John Hayes and Donncha O’Callaghann complete the set despite many fearing that neither of them had done enough to impress coach Clive Woodward.
KIDNEY LEAVING LEINSTER
The news that Declan Kidney was winding up his career as Leinster coach in order to reprise his role at the head of affairs in Munster brought about myriad reactions last week, none of them particularly edifying. First off — and this would have been inconceivable a few years back in relation to a man seen as nothing if not implacable and trustworthy — there was plenty of hand-wringing and condemnation of Kidney’s move, albeit for the most part in private. Kidney, who has now walked out on his last two contracts, gave living with his family in Cork as the most pressing reason for the move but this has not been especially well-received.
Many within Leinster rugby are angry that Kidney clearly felt drawn to the Munster job even as he signed a three-year contract with Leinster. It was no secret that the Munster job would be up for grabs at the end of the season and yet not only did Kidney sign up for three years, but he was actively involved in the sorting out of various playing contracts for next year.
Meanwhile, there was never really any doubt that as the man who put Munster rugby on the map and began the European adventures for which the province has become famed would be a shoo-in for a return if he so wished — as it indeed turned out when he was offered the job ahead of Michael Bradley, who was also interviewed. That he didn’t make his intentions clear from the outset has ruffled a lot of Leinster feathers.
He wasn’t the only subject of Leinster ire, however. The IRFU came in for its share of fury as well. “The whole process was ridiculous,” said a Leinster official. “Two of our indigenous coaches were preparing for a Heineken Cup quarter-final and a Challenge Cup semifinal and they were being put under pressure at the same time to apply for the Munster job. Not only that but the IRFU leaked the news that both Declan and Michael were going to be interviewed for the post on a specific day at a specific time. It beggars belief to be honest.”
The other reaction, of course, has been the jostling for position ahead of Leinster advertising the newly vacated post. In what is almost certain to be an overseas appointment — the only real Irish runner would be Bradley but he has committed himself to at least another two years at Connacht — the names Dean Richards, John Kirwin and Kevin Putt have been mentioned as front-runners with former Ulster coach Alan Solomons an outside bet.