IRELAND HEAD COACH Declan Kidney continually returned to one word to bat away questions about the reasons for his surprising team selection yesterday.
“Chemistry”.
For what is always a difficult trip to Edinburgh the choice of Luke Marshall, and particularly, Paddy Jackson, raised many a brow .
Kidney insisted that a multitude of reasons surrounded the decisions. Saying that the Ulster duo’s familiarity with one another “was a handy one”, before suggesting another crucial factor as their international-worthy demeanour even before this season began.
“The way fellas have gone about their business over a period of time.” Kidney said when asked for a specific trait that helped either Jackson or Marshall’s case.
“Over the last couple of years we’ve been taking lads into training to see how they cope with it because international rugby is a little bit different.
“You want to see how they cope and prepare for it. Paddy has done very well, Luke has done well on that. It seems to fit easy for them. How they go in training, the mix within the team… and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”
In the absence of Jonathan Sexton, no team would be fit to continue as they had been playing. Kidney concedes that, though this season’s attacking ideals remain in place, the change in personnel will alter the micro-level approaches.
“Any time you change any ingredient, it changes the chemistry of the thing.
“You still have to have an overall philosophy and style to it and they’ll bring their additions to that. We’ll have to see how it pans out on Sunday for us. The minute you change one guy – no matter if he’s one to 15 – it changes the chemistry within the team.”
Apprenticeship
One of the larger ingredients added to the mix is Tom Court. Despite a superb season scrummaging and scoring for Ulster, many have been irked by the way he was ushered back to the starting line-up ahead of Dave Kilcoyne. All part of the plan, according to the coach:
“In my way of thinking, this has always been the back-up. Certainly in the front row. David will be disappointed not to be getting the start, he’ll have a point to prove when he comes into the fray, but this is his first year and he’s serving a good apprenticeship.
“When he gets his break to start, then I’ll look forward to that too, but regards the mix for Sunday, I think it’s better to start Tom and have Dave there in reserve.”
With Court, Marshall, Jackson and Iain Henderson coming into the match-day 23, and only Chris Henry dropping out, the number of Ulster players involved has not been met with a degree of novelty by some, and by others, concern.
Munster and Leinster are used to contributing the majority of the squad. Now, with Connacht’s contingent out injured, the starting XV is split evenly three ways. The alarm bells in some quarters look especially shrill when the 23-man group contains just seven from the northern province.
“It’s not actually the way we pick.” Kidney said after literally laughing at a question about the increased number from Mark Anscombe’s playing staff.
“I suppose it goes back to my provincial days when people would be counting how many counties had how representatives. We don’t do that.“Look, if there’s 15 fellas living out in Inishbofin and they’re the best fellas they’ll be playing.”
For this weekend, the men from three of the Four Proud Provinces will travel to face a Scotland side on the up. Club allegiances and form will be left at home and 13 senior internationals will be asked to row in behind two fresh-faced novices who will steer the ship.
Marshall and Jackson have the talent, now they must prove they have the temperament. Kidney, for one, is in no doubt that they do:
“They’ve shown some good resolve in cases of adversity and they’ve dealt with that well. They seem to enjoy playing together in the same team, but it’s about what individuals brings on Sunday.
“They’ll bring their own parts to it and that will mix up the chemistry from the way we were before.”
Fasten your safety-goggles: sparks may fly.
