Squeaky Bum Time

In Irish rugby there seems to be the opinion that one does not throw an untested youngster into the coalface of an international Six Nations game, especially when your back is against the wall and a Triple Crown is on the line.  Or to borrow football parlance, not when it's 'squeaky bum time.'   The phrase, coined by Alex Ferguson, is particularly apt when assessing Declan Kidney's decision not to introduce changes in the Irish line-out, where next to Leo Cullen's heiny and Shane Jennings derrière sat the polished posterior of Anthony Cronin, where he and the other shiny bottoms remained for the duration of the match. Cronin's two previous appearances to date were as a late replacement in games which by the time of his introduction, had ceased being competitive, namely against Fiji in the Autumn and against Wales, in the penultimate Six Nations round this year.


One wonders if a Roy of the Rovers style, one-nil down with 15 minutes to go in the Cup final substitute appearance, may have made the difference.  The kind where the manager turns to the unproven youngin', the still unknown quantity and with one hand on his shoulder says; go on my son, make a name for yourself.  In the world of top-flight football this is viewed as mere pragmatism.  If something (or someone) is not working, you simply change it.  However, in rugby it is often redefined as ruthlessness and seems to suggest a naivety which has survived and pervaded rugby's evolution post-professionalism in 1995. 


In terms of public relations, perhaps it is right that a Grand Slam offers Declan Kidney protection against the very attacks that were so effectively deployed in the media shift against Eddie O'Sullivan.  Against Scotland, Ireland's performance was strewn with mistakes and Kidney's unwillingness to use his bench is something for which his predecessor was heavily criticised.  


John Hayes was obviously targeted, if not by the Scottish front row then by referee Marius Jonker, who seemed to have his mind made up about 'The Bull' early on.  Struggling for parity in the set-pieces, Hayes was replaced by Buckley in the 78th minute and looked dead on his feet.  It would be disingenuous to suggest that our travails in the scrum were down to the referee.  On more than one occasion he gave Ireland a soft free-kick or penalty (see the penalty awarded to Ireland to level the score at twenty-all).  Ireland have struggled in the front row during this championship. Would Cronin or Buckley have made a difference to Ireland's scrum? Would Cronin and Cullen in the line-out and Jennings at ruck time have changed Ireland's fortunes?  We don't know.  But in the end Ireland lost the game without learning anything new about fringe players such as Cronin and Buckley and their ability to make the leap to international standard when the pressure is on.  To avoid a repeat of our last World Cup outing, Ireland must put their money where their mouth is and develop, particularly in the front row, the squad ethos and competition for places that Kidney and the Irish coaching ticket have espoused since their arrival in the summer of 2008.


The World Cup begins in 18 months and Kidney, who began his tenure with Ireland already a year into the four year cycle, has had less time than most of his contemporaries in which to address the problems of Ireland's squad deficiencies.  In that time Kidney has moved to fill-in the cracks in key positions, notably at fly-half.  However the front row and in particular the tighthead position remain our achilles heel and still a cause for concern.