JUNE WAS A tough month to watch International sport.
The Olympics and, perhaps more importantly, the Paralympics were still far away on the horizon.
Giovanni Trapattoni’s boys in green lumbered to defeat after defeat. And, five days after their Euro 2012 exit, Declan Kidney’s big green men were issued a similar dose.
After being ground to a pulp in the Six Nations finale, the fourth consecutive loss would prove the most embarrassing.
Hamilton. 60 points.
Before lunchtime arrived in Ireland on June 23, we had written that the failure should be enough to draw a letter of resignation from Kidney.
But he didn’t give us that. He gave us something far better.
The coach who steadied a successful team and steered them to European rugby’s ultimate prize has shaken the malaise out of the squad. The Test results in November may look precarious at one win and one loss, but Ireland are on an upward curve. The tide has been turned.
After Hamilton the wait was unbearably long, and when the chance to set the record straight finally arrived, another ‘L’ was chalked into the column.
However, a 16-10 defeat to a teak-tough Springbok outfit with a clarity of purpose put Ireland in a position of limbo having played well, but ending up on the wrong side of the scoreline.
Missing enough front-liners to label the injury situation as a crisis, Ireland lost by four points. The game was settled by sin bins, the battle-hardened South Africa kept Ireland scoreless while JP Pietersen sat in the bin, and took advantage through a Ruan Pienaar snipe after new captain Jamie Heaslip took his own route to the sideline.
The move to retain Heaslip as the skipper is the marquee move from Kidney as he heralds in a new era. The choice may not be universally welcomed, but it is decision which has allowed a freshness to waft in around Carton House.
Heaslip’s promotion is part of a wider move to empower and encourage individual squad members. It will take the onus off men like Brian O’Driscoll and the injured Paul O’Connell who have already given more to the national team than anyone can ever thank them for.
It was not an easy decision, perhaps not one many of us would have made, but Kidney has been criticised long enough for being conservative. Now he has rolled the dice, tried to bring a new atmosphere to the group. He should be commended for that and it has already paid some dividend.
After so many young stars had been entrusted to run riot, in what Mike Ross this week reaffirmed was an uncapped Test match rather than an ‘A’ game, everything clicked for the visit of our newest rival.
The wanton destruction of Argentina may not be replicated for some time, but it was a performance which instilled belief that this team had finally returned to the right track.
Against Wales this Saturday, Kidney has again placed trust in youth when conservatism could easily push Craig Gilroy and Simon Zebo into the stands.
The Welsh are dangerous, no doubt, but there is no point in re-aligning the entire game plan for a team on a run of seven straight defeats.
Schedule
With a wounded Wales up first, eight days before hosting England; Ireland could find themselves eyeing up a Triple Crown midway through the tournament. Momentum, we are always told by those involved, is all-important in the Six Nations. So a chance to play France for the Championship in the Aviva Stadium is appetising indeed.
The fixture schedule has been kind this time around to Kidney, but he has put this team in a position to take advantage of it.
In seven weeks’ time, perhaps the prospect of Kidney bringing Ireland to another World Cup may not be so hard to stomach.
After all, there’s no harm in changing your mind now and then.
