The Pride

The British & Irish Lions squad was announced yesterday with nine Irish players travelling as part of the 37 man squad. Leinster’s Cian Healy, Jamie Heaslip, Rob Kearney, Sean O’Brien, Brian O’Driscoll, and Jonathan Sexton will join Munster’s Conor Murray and Paul O’Connell while Ulster will be represented solely by Tommy Bowe. Not a bad representation when you consider just how poor our Six Nations was. A testament if ever there was one that there are other stages on which to impress the Lions coaching team. Paul O’Connell and Tommy Bowe are perfect examples of this, neither of whom have been able to get consistent test level rugby under their belts due to injury. In O’Connell’s case his monstrous effort against Harlequins in the Heineken Cup quarter-final sealed his seat down under. With the imperious Welsh back three of George North, Alex Cuthbert and Leigh Halfpenny almost certain to start the three tests (barring injury) the replacement wingers are Tommy Bowe and Scotland’s Sean Maitland. On the face of it the Scot is a surprise choice but given that he and Bowe are 6’2″ and 6’3″ respectively and that the first choice Wallaby wingers of Drew Mitchell and Digby Ioane are 5’11” and 5’10” respectively, it becomes a little clearer as to why Gatland has included them. Other interesting selections include the Saracens prop pair of Matt Stevens and Mako Vunipola. Stevens’ retirement from International rugby in 2011 following a lengthy ban for substance abuse will almost certainly count against him and you would not expect him to get a test jersey with Gethin Jenkins and Cian Healy to battle for selection at loosehead and Adam Jones and Dan Cole competing at tighthead. Mike Ross’s dependability makes him something of a surprise omission but Mako Vunipola’s battering ram style of aggression sees him gain important yards but again his inexperience will count against him and surely only injuries would see him handed a test jersey. Chris Robshaw’s omission has been a huge talking point amongst the English media and for me it’s been overblown. The backrow is probably the area in which Gatty is most blessed, Robshaw has always been a better leader than a player, and once Sam Warburton was chosen to lead the Lions, the England and Harlequins skipper was simply not strong enough individually to outshine the likes of Tom Croft, Dan Lydiate, Sean O’Brien or Justin Tipuric. Another man who is simply surplus to requirements is Jonny Wilkinson. With Jonny Sexton and Owen Farrell the standout flyhalves in Europe, and a fullback with Leigh Halfpenny’s devastating accuracy from the tee, there was no need for a third number ten. At the squad announcement press conference Warren Gatland revealed that he spoke to Wilkinson who ruled himself out due to commitments to Toulon that would see him unavailable until after the Lions’ first game against the Barbarians in Hong Kong. Seemingly the two agreed to speak again should injuries rule either Sexton or Farrell out of contention and although Wilkinson’s reliability has been very impressive in Toulon’s march to the Heineken Cup final, I just feel as though his position is such a key one that International kickers were always going to be picked ahead of him. Overall it’s a very strong squad and more so with the Lions than any other team, balancing combinations of players who can complement each other (and where possible – are used to playing together) will be vital to their success. The front row and back three will probably be all Welsh. Alun Wyn Jones and Paul O’Connell will look to pick up where they left off four years ago, as will Jamie Roberts and Brian O’Driscoll. Regardless of selection, the back row should be an area of real superiority, particularly with Wallaby captain David Pocock expected to miss the whole tour. Mike Phillips is Gatland’s dream scrumhalf and he should be balanced perfectly by Jonny Sexton’s calm head and leadership. Overall, as Gatty would have it – this should be a team of muscle inside and pace outside.

Deccie delivered

The I.R.F.U. have officially announced that they will not be renewing Declan Kidney’s contract as head coach of the Irish senior team this summer. While it comes as no surprise given Ireland’s worst performance ever in this year’s RBS Six Nations, as well as our current (and worst ever) world ranking of ninth place, we must remember that Deccie was the man who finally led the golden generation to a Grand Slam which many of them will look back on as the highlight of glittering careers. Kidney himself was the first to say that he and his coaches Gert Smal and Les Kiss (who takes over as interim coach for this summer’s tour of North America) were the lucky ones who got to finish all of the hard work after the foundations had been laid by his predecessor Eddie O’Sullivan, it has to be said that for all of the success Eddie enjoyed, he had plenty of close calls but never brought home the Six Nations trophy. Deccie did. For that, as well as the unbeaten year that was 2009 – perhaps the greatest year in Irish Rugby history, we owe him a debt of gratitude. Certainly he has no more to give, and it is time for a fresh new vision. It’s just a shame for both his legacy and for the team’s future that his tenure started on a roar and ended on a whimper.

Grand Slam Girls

Phillip Doyle’s Ireland Women’s team made history in Milan as they secured a first ever Grand Slam Six Nations championship today. Captain Fiona Coghlan led from the front with Niamh Briggs contributing all six points in a low scoring mucky affair where the conditions probably suited us more than the home team. Nevertheless the women showed incredible determination and commitment throughout the tournament and in the process set an example for both the men’s team and also for women looking to get into the game. Congratulations ladies, something tells me this is a St. Patrick’s day that won’t be forgotten for a long time.

Ireland fall to Jacques’ Army

A creaking Irish team were left scrambling for explanation and reputation as Italy deservedly demolished us in Rome. They were hungry, determined, and most importantly – patient. We were lucky to still be in contention by half time but three sin-binnings for Brian O’Driscoll, Donnacha Ryan and Conor Murray coupled with our already second string team meant that we were only ever on the backfoot and Italy made history with their first ever victory against us in a Six Nations game, Andrea Lo Cicero’s last as he replaced Alessandro Troncon as their most-capped player. Elsewhere Wales ripped England apart in Cardiff to keep the trophy for another year and dismantle the Red Rose’s Grand Slam dreams yet again while France came back strongly in Paris to overturn a Scotland side that has made enormous strides under the odd coupling of Scott Johnson and Dean Ryan. The points differential being the only thing keeping us off the bottom of the table. Hardly what you’d call solace.

During the week the list of injured players had been read out to the waiting press at the team base in Carton House with one journalist comparing the situation to the 1970’s army hospital TV series M*A*S*H. If that was the case before the weekend then we certainly have since lost the war. The numbers unavailable to us in this championship have only increased and yesterday we saw both Keith Earls and Luke Marshall added to the list of casualties as the pair were replaced with less than a half an hour gone. Earls had dislocated his shoulder while Marshall had clearly failed to recover fully from his concussion last week and should not have been selected. All throughout this campaign the players have assured us that the lack of so many first choice players is not an excuse for the disappointing results and while that must be their mentality in order to believe that they can succeed through adversity the fact is that Ireland have never missed so many players so much. Tommy Bowe, Gordon D’Arcy, Stephen Ferris, Fergus McFadden, Paul O’Connell, Eoin Reddan, Simon Zebo and probably most importantly of all – Jonny Sexton were all unavailable for this game and we can only be thankful that this was the final match of what has been an awful championship for us because if we were faced with having to play again next week, I doubt we could fill 23 jerseys – such is the extent of Ireland’s injury crisis at the moment. We all saw how vulnerable the invincible All Blacks looked in the World Cup final when they were missing their two vital cogs – kicker and captain. Without Dan Carter and Richie McCaw, New Zealand struggled to victory, relying on Stephen Donald who started that tournament as their fourth choice kicker. Our fourth choice kicker (as evidenced by Declan Kidney’s selection throughout this Six Nations) is Ian Madigan and for me he should be second behind Jonny Sexton as his direct running, footballing skills, aggression in attack, determination in defence and unpredictability put him streets ahead of Paddy Jackson with Ronan O’Gara recently showing neither the form for Munster or the composure for Ireland to put him in the mix. There’s no doubting that Paddy Jackson has improved since his very shaky debut and he delivered an accomplished performance last weekend but again against Italy the nerves were plain to see in open field play as he stood so far back from Conor Murray that anytime the scrum half launched a pass his way, his deep positioning gave the Azzurri a huge headstart that they were only too happy to gobble up, meaning Ireland lost ground every time our nine passed to our ten. After spotting the problem Sean O’Brien began to position himself at first receiver, using his bulk to power Ireland over the gain line and Jackson was only used when we elected to kick through for field position. So much like in his debut, we found ourselves playing with a kicker that we had to work around. Obviously Deccie’s hand was forced in selecting an inexperienced outhalf when Jonny Sexton pulled up against England and ROG failed to impress off the bench, but this was a call that he simply got wrong. The explanation offered for his selection over Madigan was that the step up to test level rugby was perceived to be smaller for the Ulsterman given his captaincy of the Ireland Under 20’s last year but on the basis of form, (which Kidney has always said decides his selections) the Leinster kicker would have made us a much more attacking threat, no doubt about it. Another no brainer is that Declan Kidney will not be offered a new contract when his current ticket expires this summer and as always whoever the I.R.F.U. select to replace him will more than likely bring in their own coaching staff meaning that Gert Smal and Les Kiss will also move on. And although most other positions in the staff are normally secure enough in times of transition, I would question whether Éanna Falvey and Jason Cowman are doing enough to keep their positions as team doctor and strength and conditioning coach respectively. The players too made bad decisions (most obviously against Scotland where they squandered more than 70% possession) and we can only hope that we have not seen the last of our best. Brian O’Driscoll deserves better than this championship as his swan song and for that reason more than any other I don’t believe we have seen the last of him in a green jersey. I hope he will bow out in the fashion that we all thought Ronan O’Gara was going to when he spoke after the victory over Australia in the last World Cup. I believe he is waiting for the right game, the right performance, and the right result and that then he’ll say goodbye. Hopefully in Dublin so that we will get to give him the ovation that has been given to no other. This is a low. But it’s not the end. Not yet.

All square in le tug of war

For the second year in a row Ireland and France couldn’t be separated as in what has been speculated to have been Brian O’Driscoll’s last home game for Ireland, the two sides fittingly put thirteen points each on the board. Worryingly for us, we yet again failed to close out (or even stay in the hunt) in the final stages of a test match. In the Grand Slam season of 2009 accumulatively we were behind at half time but more recently we seem to be forming a habit of taking the lead into the break and then parking the bus, to borrow the footballing parlance. In the first half we were doing all of the attacking, Jamie Heaslip muscled over for a try that seemed to come quite easily once we got the field position we needed yet we failed to get back there. Understandably, and bravely, any penalties we were awarded were taken on by Paddy Jackson and the young Ulsterman had an excellent game. While his two penalties and one conversion gave him the confidence he sorely needed after his unimpressive debut last week, it also meant that any time France infringed they did so at some distance from the try line and we took our chances for three points when there might have been more on offer up the line. But from the flyhalf’s point of view – what a recovery. On his debut against Scotland we saw him hold the ball while the likes of Heaslip and O’Driscoll debated his options but this week he was making his own calls. If you pick a flyhalf in modern test rugby, you’ve got to trust him to kick. We didn’t do that in Murrayfield and he suffered as a result but he proved himself this week. France entrusted their duties to Frédéric Michalak who it was clear from the start hadn’t the radar on the day. Had they introduced François Trinh-Duc at any point or given the responsibility to Morgan Parra earlier in the game, they probably would’ve gone on to win it. To me it felt like a loss. We were 13-3 up at halftime and lost the second half 10-0. And because of that the French will feel that even though they didn’t play the usual top speed running and offloading game that has proved so devastating against us over the years, it’s one that they too left behind. Our lineout was excellent. Having stuttered against both England and Scotland, Rory Best’s accuracy was back to his usual high standards and our variety in jumpers made us hard to compete with. The scrum had a mixed outing, performing very poorly in the first half and improving somewhat in the second half which was symptomatic of the conditions underfoot but is definitely an area that needs attention. Declan Kidney’s harshest critics often say that it’s Ireland’s inconsistency that’s so frustrating these days and that inconsistency lies not only in the results but also in particular areas of Ireland’s game. We seem incapable of plugging all the holes at once. If the scrum goes well one week, the lineout suffers and when we get the lineout fixed the following week our kicking game suddenly disappears and so on. It seems very unlikely that Deccie’s services will be retained, and that for me is the single biggest thing that our next coaching team need to address. A bit of harmony in how we play is sorely needed. Eoin Reddan replaced man of the match Conor Murray and late in the game suffered a suspected broken leg. Drico too was replaced after having tried to shake off a very heavy knock so we’ll see over the coming week what team we can put together to take on Italy in Rome next weekend. Let us not forget how close an encounter it was on our last trip to the eternal city with Ronan O’Gara snatching victory for us in the dying stages. Jacques Brunel will be telling his team this week that although our one win and one draw is a better return so far than theirs, they beat France which we failed to do. Make no mistake about it, next week’s clash could easily go either way. If France beat Scotland in Paris (which is no guarantee) the wooden spoon will have been decided earlier in the day between Ireland and Italy. But if Scotland were to win, Les Bleus will finish bottom. It’s not quite the drama we hoped we’d be involved in on the last weekend of the tournament but at least it should give us plenty to shout for right to the end.

Elsewhere Wales kept their hopes of retaining the trophy alive in a record-breaking encounter in Murrayfield. 18 penalties were awarded by Craig Joubert and Leigh Halfpenny slotted 23 points to give Wales a glimmer of hope ahead of their do or die meeting with England at the Millennium stadium next Saturday. A home win by more than seven points would see the Welsh win back to back championships as England survived an amazing Italian onslaught at Twickenham to keep their 100% record intact by the skin of their teeth.

Special mention must again go to the Ireland Women’s team who were confirmed as Six Nations champions after overcoming France in a thriller in Ashbourne on Friday night and watching Italy lose to England yesterday. Phillip Doyle’s side will collect the trophy in Milan next week and will travel in search of a Grand Slam. Come on you girls in green!

Dour in Scotland

Ireland imploded in Murrayfield yesterday as all hopes of contention in this year’s RBS Six Nations were not taken from us, but rather – thrown away. I can’t recall ever having seen a match where a team had such utter dominance in both territory and possession and then went on to lose. With Cian Healy banned for stamping and Mike McCarthy, Jonny Sexton, Gordon D’Arcy and Simon Zebo all sidelined with injuries, it was Scotland’s best chance in years to beat us and they didn’t really have to bust a gut to do it. Their forwards were key to their success with Jim Hamilton stealing crucial lineout ball from a number of uncharacteristically errant throws from Rory Best, and Kelly Brown marshaling their scrum more effectively than Jamie Heaslip could ours. Luke Marshall, Keith Earls and Sean O’Brien were our most penetrative attacking threats but the excitement of their line breaks soon turned to frustration at their inability to capitalise when the try line seemed at their mercy. One would have to forgive the debutante centre from Ulster for not being more clinical, but while Keith Earls should have had the awareness to spot Brian O’Driscoll on his shoulder for a certain wasted try, it was a grim sight to see the former captain berating his winger before the Munster man had even made it to his feet after being tackled into touch. Ronan O’Gara seemed to be showing signs of stress too as his introduction late in the game did little to change our fortunes. In fact with minutes to play he nearly gifted Scotland a bigger margin of victory when he found himself gathering out on the wing, decided against the garryowen, set himself for a long pass infield but changed his mind, instead putting a cross field dink into space and his teammates under unnecessary pressure after Scotland got a boot to his loose kick. While Craig Gilroy managed to twist his way beyond three Scottish forwards for the only try of the game Ireland never looked like pushing on from it and sealing a victory in the manner in which we have come to expect. What we have not come to expect (and we cannot tolerate at test level) is a flyhalf who neither has the ability, confidence, nor trust of his teammates, to take any type of kick. Why on earth was Paddy Jackson selected, for Ireland, at flyhalf, against Scotland, away from home, following a loss to England, when he doesn’t take the kicks for his club, when we’ve been blighted with injuries AND when (as became clear) the game plan was to not let him kick any shots at goal? The feeling leading up to the game was that Ian Madigan would have been expected to have been ahead of his Ulster colleague in the pecking order behind Jonny and ROG and there was surprise from all corners when Jackson was given the nod with Keith Earls even going so far as to confirm in an interview that the team themselves were just as surprised as the public at the selection. It’s safe to say that Madigan could only have had a better game than Jackson, (certainly he couldn’t have had any less impact) but if you accept that the senior players along with the coaches had decided that Paddy’s kicking was so unreliable that unless penalties were between the sticks and inside the 22, the kick was to go into the corner then why did they even feel the need to select a flyhalf at number ten? If all that was being asked of Paddy was to be another man in the line, a strong passer off both hands and an energetic tackler then surely Fergus McFadden or Luke Fitzgerald could have filled the jersey. Sure they’d have been out of position but they’d have had experience and in McFadden’s case at least someone who has been entrusted in the past with kicking duties for his club. Nevertheless it simply serves to remind us that we still have a terrifying lack of depth all across the park. Eddie O’Sullivan once said that Ireland’s biggest barrier to success is injury, and so it remains.

Wales made light work of Italy in a downpour in Rome and they will now be licking their lips at the final weekend’s clash with England in the Millennium Stadium, theirs being the only realistic chance of denting the chariot’s progress towards a grand slam as England took a step closer by doing away with France in Twickenham. Phillipe Saint-Andre must be the only coach in world rugby who is on thinner ice than Declan Kidney as Les Bleus sit bottom of the table, currently on course for a wooden spoon although with Scotland travelling to Paris on the final weekend that should change.

Special mention has to go the Ireland women’s team captained by Fiona Coughlan who won the Triple Crown for the first time ever beating Scotland on Saturday. Congratulations girls!

Drowned but not out

On the day of Drico’s daughter’s birth England needed nothing special to win in Dublin as Ireland put up one of the worst displays against the old enemy that I can remember. And I hope I soon forget it. The weather forecast was bleak for the day and it ended up worse than that. The rain was always going to decide the scoreline and as expected at all times it was divisible by three but we simply can’t call that a reason, an excuse or even a factor. England were, after all, using the same ball and they weren’t having the same issues keeping a hold of it that we were. Jamie Heaslip had a very poor game, most obviously because of his inability to catch two garryowens under little and no pressure but also due to his indiscipline at the breakdown. More than once, his was the last body off the ground as we gave away penalty after penalty. Ireland spent the first half knocking on, kicking the ball away and pulling up injured. Simon Zebo and Jonathan Sexton were the biggest casualties of a dour affair as numbers ten and eleven had been replaced after a half an hour but credit to Keith Earls and Ronan O’Gara – the Munster replacements made as much of an impact as they could have as the winger made two almost identical breaks to worry a narrow English defence and the outhalf kicked Ireland’s only points. Brian O’Driscoll and Sean O’Brien both pulled up at different points in the game but with our trip to Edinburgh two weeks away, time should help us to recover and regroup. The effort of last week’s endeavour had clearly taken it’s toll. Craig Gilroy was one of the few who can be happy with his contribution as the Ulsterman cleaned up a lot of dangerous grubbers and played with a calm confidence that belied his youth and inexperience. Unfortunately though, we just never got into a position to utilise his attacking prowess. Our front foot play was devoid of the type of zip and spark that was so evident (and so effective) in Cardiff last week. On the whole, the best that can be said about Ireland’s performance is that we kept out an England team that never looked like threatening our try line, our scrum was not humiliatingly trampled in the manner of last year’s defeat in Twickenham, and that because the tournament has been quite poor so far – Ireland could yet win it. England are of course favourites but they are immensely beatable. They had just as little imagination about them today as we had, but the difference was that we made the mistakes and they didn’t. James Haskell was sin-binned around the hour mark and England outscored us during his absence. You’re never going to win test matches if you can’t win those ten minute periods. Simple as that.

Elsewhere, Italy followed up last weeks famous victory by wilting (unfortunately predictably) in Murrayfield. The pick of the action was a sensational length of the pitch intercept try from Glasgow fullback Stuart Hogg as Scott Johnson’s side put up a healthy score that will give them confidence going into our visit in a fortnight’s time. France, unlike Italy, picked up where they left off last weekend as they continued their collapse, this time against Wales in front of a restless home crowd. Philippe Saint-André’s continued selections of Wesley Fofana on the wing and Morgan Parra on the bench are the most obvious signs that the man at the helm of the World Cup finalists is not making the right calls and he will most certainly face increasing animosity and occupational uncertainty unless he acts quickly to turn things around for Les Bleus.

From Zebo to hero

Simon Zebo made his Six Nations debut a test to remember as his sensational heel flick to rescue a pass from behind him set up Cian Healy for a try, after having opened the scoring himself with the first five points of the game. Ireland started as strongly as they had to and Wales quite simply were not prepared. I said it in my preview post for the tournament – Wales just don’t have that ability to adapt and improvise when Warren Gatland isn’t at the helm. Instead the Lions head coach could only look on as his team slumped to an eighth straight defeat, and a first at home to Ireland since that famous Grand Slam clincher in 2009. Ireland bossed Wales around the park in the first half and went in twenty points ahead at half time. In what is likely to be Brian O’Driscoll’s final Six Nations, he hopped over a small ruck to score an easy but crucial try soon after the break which helped him to the man of the match award. It was thought that Drico might feel the need to prove a point in response to Declan Kidney’s decision to strip him of the captaincy (and the reasons given by Deccie) and he did not disappoint. His defensive shift made it a very long afternoon for the Welsh backs, particularly his opposite number Jonathan Davies and his pass to Simon Zebo for the first try was a reminder of just how special a player he still is. We have seen a number of these blood and guts displays from Brian over the years, most memorably the battering he took against England four years ago, and Saturday saw him yet again put his body on the line in a way few others do. His head was fully bandaged for most of the game, yet he still directed moves, carved Wales open and even took over from Conor Murray at scrum half when the Munster number 9 was sent to the sin bin late in the game for killing the ball close to the line. Rory Best had a magnificent game, his block down of Dan Biggar’s kick starting the move which resulted in Cian Healy’s try. Best too was temporarily dispatched for repeated infringements but Ireland coped admirably. Wales got points on the board and began to claw their way back into the game but Ireland’s defense at times made it easy to forget they were missing a man. Craig Gilroy will have been happy with his contribution and although he lost his way defensively on occasion, the senior players guided him and he made a smashing shooter tackle on Leigh Halfpenny that needed to be measured to perfection and was. One tackle that wasn’t was Keith Earls’ attempt to meet Alex Cuthbert. The Munster man got it all wrong, both timing and angle and the Welsh winger dotted down easily. I’ve yet to see a performance from Keith Earls in an Irish jersey that justifies his selection (even on the bench) ahead of Fergus McFadden. Earls still seems to be putting himself under pressure to prove himself, unhappy with his place amongst the reserves or his out of position selections but his Leinster rival while perhaps more predictable going forward, offers a safer option in defense as well as a back up boot should it be required. On the whole though, our first fixture went as well as we could have expected. We knew Wales would have their purple patch and they did, in fact the last points we put on the board came from Jonathan Sexton’s conversion of O’Driscoll’s try after 42 minutes. But we soaked up the pressure, minimised the damage and survived the backlash. We put ourselves under pressure by losing a man for ten minutes on two occasions but it was a performance marked with the determination that Ireland showed against Australia in 2011 and Argentina last November. We’re in an excellent position going into next weekend’s game as our discipline gives us something to work on, but our defense and the scoreline gives us the encouragement we need to believe that we can beat England and move to the top of the table.

England crossed four times against a Scotland side that re-enforced many people’s beliefs that they are as good as guaranteed to retain the Wooden Spoon. The Scots showed little by way of argument other than Ali Hogg’s superb individual try late in the game and a few impressive line breaks from Richie Gray. Scott Johnson has a big job on his hands to turn them into a team that would concern any opponent. Gloucester new boy Billy Twelvetrees put in a massive shift and although Stuart Lancaster is unlikely to start him ahead of Manu Tuilagi next weekend, he should provide selection headaches in the future. The scoreline and the manner of victory should mean that England will arrive in Dublin next Sunday with a familar arrogance. Just how we want them.

Italy took a massive scalp beating France in Rome for the second time in the last three meetings. That’s a better recent record than either Ireland or Wales have against Les Bleus. In fact only England, Argentina and New Zealand can match that level of success. Jacques Brunel’s team started strongly with Sergio Parisse scoring the first try after running some very clever angles and using his brute force to fend off the French backs. France came back into things as they always do, Benjamin Fall showing serious gas to scoot past the Italian backs after some sublime handling sent him on his way. But it was then that the script was binned. Italy came back from behind as Martin Castrogiovanni barreled over for a try after 58 minutes and replacement fly-half Kristopher Burton slotted a sublime drop goal to keep the scoreline ticking over 12 minutes later. A late French scrum inside the Italian 22 was kept out easily and the Azzurri could find themselves top of the table next weekend if they beat Scotland in Murrayfield in the first fixture on Saturday, which they should. Hopefully they won’t get too comfy.

RBS Six Nations Preview 2013

The thirteenth Six Nations championship begins tomorrow as defending champions Wales will look to right the wrongs of a dismal autumn and prove that they are capable of delivering results for someone other than Warren Gatland. For each team involved there are of course talismanic players, those who raise all around them and inspire near suicidally committed performances from otherwise sane men. Italy’s has stood apart from all around him for most of his career, and so it remains that their captain Sergio Parisse will remain a vital influence on the Azzurri’s ability to balance passion with discipline. Scotland have a number of key men who will decide how their season fares but for me the one to watch has to be their best hope of a starting Lions place this coming summer and that is Richie Gray. His mastery of the lineout and demolition of defences will secure both possession and territory for a Scotland side that may not be too sure what to do with either. England have a flyhalf that must have studied Ronan O’Gara when he was at school, such is the composure, precision and playmaking ability of Owen Farrell. For me England found their best half-back pairing in years when Ben Youngs and Toby Flood were at nine and ten but Flood hasn’t fended off the challenger and Farrell will be right at the heart of everything that Stuart Lancaster’s men do this season. Wales are without a number of experienced forwards so I would expect their backs to be let off the leash even more so than usual, maybe even too much so which could leave them vulnerable to counter attack, particularly against the masters of it – France. It’s here that I struggle to find a standout candidate. I don’t think Sam Warburton is the player that he once was, or the captain that Wales need. Mike Phillips is aging in a backline that seems to be getting younger every season. Jamie Roberts seems cursed by injuries recently and as devestating a back three as George North, Alex Cuthbert and Leigh Halfpenny can be, I think their individual ability is being stifled at clubs that are below the standard they should be playing at, and without Warren Gatland’s guidance I think they’ll struggle. France have always surprised us with who they leave out and who they bring in to their squads each year, but such has always been their depth. Returning from a five year exile is Frédéric Michalak who I think will bring a direct sense of purpose to what France do. Hopefully he will be entrusted with place-kicking which will free up the magnificent Morgan Parra to focus solely on his distribution and allow the flyhalf the responsibility that will drive his confidence. For us I’m confident that Declan Kidney’s gamble on the vastly inexperienced pair of Simon Zebo and Craig Gilroy on the wings will pay off. With only four caps between them and speed being obviously favoured over physicality, I do expect Rob Kearney to be busy cleaning up grubbers, calling marks and dragging wingers into touch but then that’s his bread and butter. Of the two of them, I’m tipping Craig Gilroy to arrive on the scene this year. Our Chris Ashton. Without the swan dives. Hopefully.

As for predictions, I can’t see past France. With a trip to Rome first up, they are sure to notch up a healthy points differential. When Wales come to Paris in round two I can’t see the visitors getting anything out of the game but heartbreak – a close game but France to win it by five or six points. Next up comes the key fixture – away to England. The English are flying after their win over the All Blacks in last year’s autumn Internationals but I just see this as the clincher for a French grand slam and I don’t think Twickenham will distract them from that. Next up comes their visit to Dublin, which regretfully I believe they’ll win with some degree of comfort, maybe by ten points. The final week sees Scott Johnson’s Scots travel to Paris, with little to play for one would imagine. For our part I think we’ll beat Wales in the Millenium stadium, see off England in the Aviva, beat Scotland in Murrayfield, lose to France in Dublin, and beat Italy in Rome on the final day to place second. I’d be happy with that.

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.