Allen Clarke on the fight to ensure his fate at Ospreys isn't similar to fellow Irishman Jackman at Dragons
Allen Clarke doesn’t hang about singing the praises of his current west Wales address. “Your home is your home,” said the Northern Irish man to RugbyPass, “but as a second option, I would highly recommend it to everyone, it is wonderful.”
Let’s hope he keeps enjoying it while it lasts as the track record for Irish coaches seeing through to the finish a three-year deal in Wales isn’t all that encouraging.
Bernard Jackman – another old-time Ireland hooker – had been unveiled to great pomp and ceremony at the Dragons in summer 2017. Eighteen months was all he managed, poor results leading to the plug being pulled just halfway through the job he was contracted to do.
That same halfway house is what Clarke is now approaching and with recent results on the slippery slope, he could well wind up looking over his shoulder waiting for some bad news to be delivered mid-winter.
He was never meant to be the top guy at Ospreys. He arrived in summer 2017 as forwards coach but with Steve Tandy stepping aside the following January, Clarke took on running the show, initially on an interim basis before hands were shaken on a three-year deal in late April 2018.
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It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster, to say the least. Everything from the frightening low of the Ospreys’ existence being threatened by merger talks to a European qualifier playoff win over rivals Scarlets.
Now they are back in the pit again, struggling after just one PRO14 win in six ahead of a Champions Cup campaign that begins on Saturday with the arrival of Munster in Swansea, a daunting fixture quickly followed by a trip to London to take on champions Saracens.
As it stands, Clarke is just below break-even territory – 44 matches in charge divided by 21 wins and 23 losses in the league, Europe and Anglo-Welsh Cup. What is needed is the return of his Welsh RWC contingent led by talisman Alun-Wyn Jones, but in the meantime the hits just keep on coming, the latest being the dreadful home loss to PRO14 whipping boys, Southern Kings.
That should have been enough to make a strong man weep but Clarke is all stiff upper lip and spoiling for the fight, adamant that Ospreys are still heading in the right direction under his baton.
“You have used the word building foundations, we recognise we are in that phase,” he reasoned. “We have got world-class players, world-renowned individuals who are iconic in the game but we have got to build that squad and compete throughout the season.
“Probably where we are at the moment is a reflection of our needs. There is a strategy now in place to ensure that we recruit well, we retain well and we add to our current player base. It’s not going to happen overnight, it is going to take some time but we have a realistic timeline in terms of really being in a position to challenge for trophies.
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“We’d a tremendous summer. We approached the season wholeheartedly, with a lot of enthusiasm, and morale within the camp is excellent, but we have taken a couple of really bad knocks injury-wise and we are having to cope with that.
“That is a challenge but it is also an opportunity for the young boys who are getting game minutes now. This time next year they will be experienced… it has been challenging but I get tremendous support, in particular from the player group but also from the board and everyone associated from the Ospreys.”
A European Cup winner with Ulster in 1999, Clarke’s post-playing career has seen him work for his native province as well as a stint heading up the IRFU’s age-grade system. He knows the steps that need to be taken to deliver on a long-term plan.
Effectively, despite years of change under EPCR, European rugby is back where it was under ERC as clubs are again playing for the Heineken Cup https://t.co/Q1TVczJL21
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 15, 2019
The question is, will he be afforded the allotted time to deliver now that the Ospreys have a future safeguarded following months of misery involving merger talks and whatnot last spring?
“I have admired the Ospreys for some time,” admitted Clarke, who parted company with Ulster during the ill-fated Les Kiss era. “Those values and characteristics are coming to the fore again. Honesty, fight, work ethic, togetherness, a good place to work but we challenge one another and support one about accordingly.
“It’s good. The Ospreys is in a strong position off the field. We’re looking to ensure that we replicate that on the field. There is no doubt that [merger talk] was extremely unnerving for players, management, everybody associated with the Ospreys, supporters, but to come through that, to get into European Champions Cup, it was a real testament to everyone involved.
“Of course it did (cause upset), not knowing if you had a budget and even if you did have a budget, not knowing you would exist and could recruit players for the team. We were behind the black ball in that regard. It’s important now – and we recognise it is important – that the need is there to be on the front foot, to do our research, to identify the players we want to recruit and to do that business early.”
The Welsh Rugby Union played its part near the end of last season, convincing skipper Jones to stick with a national contract that keeps him at Ospreys. Clarke believes there is now a far more coherent plan from the top aimed at rejuvenating the regional product.
“Not for one minute did I think Alun-Wyn would not be an Osprey. The absolute detail behind it I’m not sure, but obviously all of these things take time to go through the proper process.
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The obvious choices. Gatland missing anyone? #RugbyWorldCup #wales #england
“Certainly what I’m seeing now is Welsh rugby would be much more joined up and working as one therefore benefiting the player, putting the player central and that would benefit all the teams and ultimately your national team which is very much the drive in Ireland. It is top down and bottom up and you have got to have that cohesion throughout your pathway.
“Those high performance pathways, there is a real understanding that the future of Welsh rugby starts eight, ten years in advance of what you see on the field at international level and there is a real drive to align the management and the competition structures of age-grade rugby in Wales.
“Undoubtedly the success of any club team is based on your academy structures and it is absolutely critical to get those in place. That back-ends your squad and that is your future international quality players that come from your own resources, and you support that with good form and with recruitment.
The Saracens XV heading to play Racing in Paris is very different from the one that defeated Leinster in the final in their last European game six months ago https://t.co/jbPsbXlby6
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 15, 2019
“In Wales we are certainly looking to do that now. That takes some time. It’s not going to happen overnight, as I said, so what we need to ensure is we keep the best players within Wales at our club, at Ospreys, and we support them with good form and with good non-Welsh recruits.”
That’s the long-term view but, for now, it’s about Europe and taking on heavyweights from Ireland and England. “It’s the pool of death, really. It’s going to be a huge challenge. Munster at home, we’re not getting too far beyond that.
“We expect Munster to be at full strength. Obviously we are not going to be but we are a proud bunch of men. After that we are away to Saracens. You’re looking at two teams who have won Europe or been in the semi-finals over the last couple of years. It’s going to be really important we get off to a decent start if we are going to progress out of this group.”
WATCH: The Dragons Lair, the RugbyPass behind the scenes documentary on the Dragons when Bernard Jackman was in charge
Comments on RugbyPass
Absolutely spot on Ben. I certainly wouldn't gloat over a win like that. Frustrating as it is it's done and dusted and history will forever show the result.
97 Go to commentsHo hum.
97 Go to commentsNo question they were the better team. But that is the beauty of sport isn’t it!
97 Go to commentsEveryone is into Hurling in Ireland according to Porter, but only 11 of Ireland's 32 counties enter a team into the national competition. Same old blarney.
1 Go to commentsLet’s be honest. The draw and scheduling in the World Cup was a joke but South Africa found a way after having to go the hard (nearly impossible) way to the Cup Final via France and England. NZ had a hard game against France (lost) and had 5 weeks to prepare for the Quarter, 3 weeks knowing it was Ireland. NZ theerfore had to win one big game against an Irish team who played SA and then Scotland 7 days before. They won and it was de facto a semi final because they were playing a relatively weak Argentina team and it was a walk over. In the final a very rested NZ team was playing a very tired SA team and still lost. They couldn’t score more than 11 points. Put another way SA had to find a way to win while tired and they achieved that. NZ should thank their lucky stars that they fixed the scheduling in 2015 otherwise they would be dealing with a Bok treble.
97 Go to commentsPerhaps if Bongi wasn’t targeted and removed from the game in the first 3 minutes it would have been quite a different game. Maybe if NZ also faced the same competition the Boks faced to their win NZ would have looked quite different. The final score shows who outplayed who.
97 Go to commentsRubbish article! Abuladze played most of Exeters matches when fit. He got injured against Glasgow a while ago and is out for the rest of the season, thats why he hasnt played for Exeter and Georgia recently. Do some proper research next time!
1 Go to commentsGotta love it when kids throw their toys out the pram and can’t hack it with the grown ups debate. Here’s looking at you turlough! 😉🤣
148 Go to commentsThey lost the game period move on
97 Go to commentsSpringboks won! Stop winging. You can change the game however much you and your rugby colonizing IRB want to and the Springboks will win you at that too. Your mind is colonized my friend get a life
97 Go to commentsBen, nobody gets fooled anymore by selective and biased data to support an hypothesis. Games are decided on such small margins these days that you win some and lose some, and dominance is a thing of the rugby past. Look at the RWC circle of fortune…. Ireland beats SA who beat France who beat NZ who beat Ireland. And so it goes on. Match officials help to eliminate real indiscretions. If they had been with us years before, no doubt results would have been different. Remember Andy Haden’s dive from a lineout in 1978 for which a match-wining penalty was awarded? Wales should have beaten the ABs that day. They took the loss like the gentlemen they were.
97 Go to commentsWith all the analysis and how good the all blacks were.The fundamental mistake with the ABs is that this is a test match and not an exhibition.There is no better team(country) in world rugby than the Boks that knows how to win a test match(we are post masters at this).We know our rules, we have the discipline, we tackle like beasts, we take our points and we never give up.I now have educated the ABs supporters(at least say thank you).Please stop “bitching” , accept what the outcome is and move along swiftly.
97 Go to commentsAnd they came from behind to win two big games before the final. No one can say what would have happened. Had the boks gone behind the game plan changes and the result may changes. Ifs and ands are irrelevant. The boks won. Neutral critics enjoyed the games they played. Its not a popularity contest. Get over it and move on.
97 Go to commentsI'm happy for the people of SA to get a second WC. And I mean that. I was very disappointed with this man's “stand on the hand” incident with Josh Van Der Flyer (Ireland). Ireland's downfall in the last WC was they did not rotate their first 15 as the head coach probably should have. That said, I'm happy for SA and genuinely hope it lifts the mood in their country. Ireland did beat them in the first match of the tournament. And before the trolls start trolling ….. please don't bother. Etzbeth said recently that the Irish players said after the match “see you in the final”…..this was actually wishing the SA team the best of luck in the rest, the Irish team were not dismissing the AB’s. This is what Etzbeth was implying. But he was wrong. I no longer live in Ireland. But I hope to see them lift that cup before I pass. Anyway, congratulations SA. 👍
12 Go to commentsMore bloody click bait. Dan Carter has said absolutely nothing. As he should do. Poor journalism again from a site that should know better
9 Go to commentsOh god please help these loosers get over it!!!! You lost. Doesn't matter how many times you dummies are gonna analyse the game, you still lost and we are still Rygby World Champions….get over it, you lost.
97 Go to commentsThe next Willie le Roux. SA are made not to use him.
3 Go to commentsDan has always been as controversial as tea with milk so we were never going to get any definitive answer. So DMac for the win.
9 Go to commentsGoodness. When are the All Blacks and New Zealand commentators going to stop complaining about how they could have won and just try to win next time 😂. In South Africa if you lose you get up and try again. Get over it.
97 Go to commentsHonestly, it doesn’t matter a whole lot. RSA has a ton of experienced talent in its leadership group. I am more interested in who is the new 8 man/8 men and the younger props. The captain may change but the system does not
1 Go to comments