Johnny, Jamie and the Jersey

The year is still a pup but the news never stops. Connacht announced that former All Black Pat Lam will take over at the Sportsground when Eric Elwood steps aside at the end of the season. The announcement was made on the day that Connacht lost to Harlequins by the biggest margin in Elwood’s time in charge so while its undeniable that they’ve improved under him, the Western faithful will be looking to Lam to bring more consistency to their results. Leinster paid the price for their home and away defeats to Clermont Auvergne and are out of the Heineken Cup at the pool stages, bringing an end to their dream of three European crowns in a row. While the boys in blue will look to put this behind them as quickly as possible, the sting of what could have been is sure to return in May when the showpiece of Northern Hemisphere rugby will be decided in Dublin. Munster were simply sensational as they saw off a feeble Racing Metro side in Thomond Park. Whether it is indeed the return to former glory that their performance promised remains to be seen but an away trip to Harlequins should be just the test to tell. Ulster will travel to Saracens in what should be a sizzling clash of two teams who strongly fancy themselves to go on and win the Heineken Cup, indeed paddypower.com are giving equal odds of 6/1 to both teams to do so. In the other two semi-finals it would surely require a monumental collapse for Toulon not to advance past Leicester as the English team travel, and with tournament favourites Clermont Auvergne sure to brush Montpellier aside at the Stade Marcel Michelin, the Saracens Ulster match is sure to be the pick of the quarter finals.

My post-pools prediction: Clermont to beat Ulster in the Heineken Cup final in the Aviva on May 18th, Leinster to beat Toulouse in the Amlin Challenge Cup final in the R.D.S. on the previous night.

Puma have decided to end their involvement with Rugby and as such, the I.R.F.U. will look to find a new kit supplier to take over from the end of next season, the year before the next Rugby World Cup. Relations with Canterbury were seemingly at rock bottom when the contract was given to Puma so it looks like the Kiwi clothing company are the least likely candidates to take over. Nike and Adidas both have strong involvement in the game, and with Nike having recently lost the French national kit to Adidas they may well be looking for a lucrative national team deal. The outside chance could of course be Irish sports manufacturer O’Neill’s who recently got into the sport by supplying Harlequins’ kit since Conor O’Shea took over at the Stoop. This option would be ideal for the I.R.F.U. but the question is whether they would have the capacity to supply to such a major partner.

Jamie Heaslip has replaced Brian O’Driscoll as Ireland captain and while I understand the reasons behind his selection, I disagree with it. Jamie’s recent disciplinary record is one of the worst of any player in the Irish squad and while one red and one yellow card in the last two years would not stand out elsewhere, we’re not used to it in the green jersey. Questions surely should be asked about any player who gets sent to the sin bin in his first test match as captain and while I do agree that he has strong leadership qualities, I would ask: is he ready? Declan Kidney revealed that he felt the current captain needed to be someone who could carry the responsibility up to the Rugby World Cup in 2015 which explained why he felt Brian should step aside but I wonder if Rob Kearney or Jonathan Sexton might have been better equipped and more deserving of the honour.

The I.R.F.U. have failed in their attempts to keep Jonathan Sexton playing his rugby full-time in Ireland and as a result the St. Mary’s out-half will move to Racing Metro in the summer. While the salary being offered by the Parisiens’ owner Jacky Lorenzetti is said to be in the region of €750,000 (a figure described by I.R.F.U. chief executive Philip Browne as “quite simply, not within our orbit”) it is disappointing that money, it seems, has decided this one. With most experts in agreement that his should be the first name on the Lions team sheet next year, Jonny could have had his pick of clubs in either hemisphere and I can’t help but feel that with Racing Metro, he is selling himself short. Irish players have a reputation for their loyalty, so much so that the majority of those Irish players who have moved teams in the professional era have done so from one province to another. Tommy Bowe set a precedent when he left Ravenhill for Swansea a few years ago and his recent return to Ulster is something to encourage Leinster fans as Sexton’s two-year deal is more than likely a temporary arrangement. Nevertheless it is a loss that will be sorely felt at a time when Leinster were beginning to rely on their younger crop. Step forward Ian Madigan.