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Andy Farrell : construire plutôt que repartir de zéro
L’Irlande débutera son tournoi contre la France à Marseille le 2 février – le premier match des deux équipes depuis leur élimination brutale en quarts de finale de la Coupe du monde, respectivement contre la Nouvelle-Zélande et l’Afrique du Sud.
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Celui qui était alors capitaine, Johnny Sexton, et l’ailier Keith Earls ont depuis pris leur retraite, tandis que Ross Byrne, Dave Kilcoyne, Rob Herring, Mack Hansen et Jimmy O’Brien sont désormais forfaits pour cause de blessures.
Le troisième-ligne du Munster Peter O’Mahony a succédé à Sexton au poste de capitaine, mais Andy Farrell, le sélectionneur de l’Irlande, souhaite construire plutôt que de repartir de zéro après la Coupe du monde pour l’Australie en 2027.
Construire sur les cendres
Et cette approche est soulignée par le fait qu’il a sélectionné 26 joueurs dans son équipe pour le Tournoi des Six Nations qui ont fait le déplacement en France pour la Coupe du Monde de Rugby.
« Regardez l’équipe que nous avons choisie », a expliqué Farrell, lors du lancement médiatique du Tournoi des Six Nations à Dublin.
« Au cours des deux dernières années, nous avons sélectionné beaucoup de joueurs. Certains d’entre eux ont moins de 10 sélections, d’autres n’ont pas été impliqués dans l’équipe au cours des 12 à 18 derniers mois, il est donc très important d’essayer de faire évoluer l’équipe dans ce sens.
« Est-ce que c’est un nouveau départ ? Je ne pense pas, vu tout ce qu’on a traversé.
« Nous voulons continuer à grandir, nous voulons continuer à faire progresser notre rugby, et on n’y parvient pas en coupant les jambes et en recommençant.
« La concurrence pour les places est très forte et doit le rester. C’est le début d’un nouveau Tournoi des Six Nations.
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« Je n’adhère pas à l’idée d’un cycle de quatre ans qui a tendance à se mettre en place lorsque les Coupes du monde sont terminées. »
Le choix de O’Mahony
La pièce maîtresse de la campagne du Tournoi des Six Nations sera Peter O’Mahony, 34 ans, qui a été capitaine de l’Irlande pour la première fois lors d’une victoire 15-12 sur les États-Unis en juin 2013 et qui compte aujourd’hui 101 sélections.
Farrell l’a choisi pour endosser ce rôle au détriment de joueurs comme James Ryan, Iain Henderson, Garry Ringrose et Caelan Doris.
« O’Mahony a conduit le Munster vers la victoire du United Rugby Championship la saison dernière, mais il a laissé le brassard de sa province en novembre, après 10 ans de bons et loyaux services.
Andy Farrell a ajouté : « Il y a quelques candidats parce que nous avons pas mal de leaders au sein du groupe. Ça va continuer à se développer et Peter sera au cœur de cela pour l’aider.
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« Il y a certaines personnes qui font en sorte que le groupe se sente bien. Il est très important d’avoir ce type de personne dans le vestiaire, et surtout le jour du match, et Peter est l’une d’entre elles.
« Il est juste lui-même et aide les autres à grandir. Je sais qu’il rendra le pays fier. »
Quant à O’Mahony, il a ajouté : « C’est un grand honneur. Je suis extrêmement reconnaissant qu’on me l’ait proposé.
« Je pense que je l’ai fait au moins une dizaine de fois, mais le faire pour une campagne du Tournoi des Six Nations est très important et probablement le plus grand honneur de ma carrière jusqu’à présent.
« Je ne m’y attendais pas, honnêtement. C’était un coup de fil très particulier (de Farrell) et un grand honneur. »
Comments on RugbyPass
Blindside flankers should be hard hitting defenders, good lineout jumper with height, and a hard worker who hits and cleans rucks. If he can be a destructive ball carrier it’s a bonus but not a necessity. Samipeni Fineau and Cullen Grace are excellent at those core skills and my choice at blindside. Brad Shields is dismissed because he is 33 but not sure why that should be a consideration for this season. Devon Flanders and Akira Ioane are #8 s forced to play blindside because their teams have better options at 8 than them. They are ball carriers first and foremost, not destructive defenders a 6 should be.
22 Go to commentsSaints obviously didn’t get the memo, or needed an ego boost?
1 Go to commentsReturning to the Chiefs would be another good change that could only put him into a better position to succeed in black
6 Go to commentsSimply outrageous and demonstrably false to say Finau’s tackle on Lynagh was “2 seconds late” In reality it was probably 0.5 seconds after he passed the ball. If you carry the ball at speed to within 5m of the defensive line you can expect to get tackled. Finau could have pulled out of it and not absolutely flattened him for sure, but there was going to be contact either way. He seems like a high risk selection at the moment, but there is no one else like him in NZ at the moment. His big tackles make the highlight reels but he is also a great athlete, very fast for such a big man, spent most of his days at lock so also very strong in the line out.
22 Go to commentsYes, Finau looks like the best option. Blackadder is not big enough for an international 6 - he should join the queue at 7. Frizzell had the power and heft and line-out height to play lock, so maybe that is where the ABs should be looking, not at a 7 who’s not big enough for 6, but at a lock who might have the agility to play 6, like Scott Barrett, or… Natai Ah Kuoi, who absolutely fits that bill, but seldom gets to play 6 because the Chiefs have so many loosies.
22 Go to commentsPaul Quinn was a National MP.
6 Go to commentsNo need to worry about losers’ mentality hysteria from Australia. Finau has all the attributes, I don't recall a high or no arms tackle from him, and his timing has been controlled very well since the round 3 Lynagh tackle. It's an easy decision for Razor, the only question is who should back him up from the bench. He can't be overworked like Squire was in his first full season.
22 Go to comments“Reds coach Les Kiss saying later: “I think every player has the right to feel safe.” Maybe Rugby is the wrong sport for people who want to feel safe..?
22 Go to commentsNot sure what the context was, but the highlights showed one scrum against Aussie where the baby Blacks were going backwards at a pace. The pack has been the issue since 2017, so they might be in for another reality check soon. This tournament should really have been two rounds, would have learned a lot more.
1 Go to commentsPeter Lakai has a ‘lot of size’? Since when? To Kirifi maybe. I think Laidlaw clearly saw he’s too small for 6 or 8, so plonked him at 7. Has potential to be Ardies understudy in black for 7.
6 Go to commentsDalton for skipper?
16 Go to commentsOh he's ‘Irish qualified’ isn't that convenient. If Ireland get any more Kiwis (and Aussie) in their backline they might need to run out in green and black kit soon. How is the supposed best rugby system in the world in need of trawling for journeyman Kiwi players?
2 Go to commentsCallum Grace is playing well now that he's finally back in his best position. But given it was Razor who somehow thought Grace was dynamic enough to be a No8 when he's clearly not, Im not sure he’d backtrack on that. Finau is risky with his style, and there's almost no point picking Blackadder when he can’t stay on the field more than five minutes.
22 Go to commentsThe team on paper has more supposed ‘stars’ than a lot of the sides they’re losing to. They’ve got the Razor-blues and aren't playing for Penney. He should jump before he's pushed.
1 Go to commentsProof. That if you lay dramatic instrumental hip hop music over a video of a skinny pale white kid running an unopposed zig zag on a training ground filled with rookies - it’ll look next-level epic!
13 Go to commentsIf they win the challenge Cup then it will have all been worth it. If they don’t, then maybe he should go. Lots of ppl seem to think very highly of him as a coach, but maybe he would be better working under someone. Any top sides looking for forwards coaches rn?
1 Go to commentsJason Ryan knows his craft as forwards coach and I'm sure he’ll hold sway with Scott Robertson of who he feels worthy of selection…his credentials validated when he put a 7xcaps between them front row...Ethan, Samisoni and Lomax on Ellis Park…Go the AB's…
22 Go to commentsFascinating. I’m optimistic about a team coached by Schmiddy, Cron and Parling
14 Go to commentsI think if Blackadder is fit, he has to be in the team. If he isn’t, Finau would be good, and I always thought Akira deserved more of a crack at it. I think he looked better than ppl gave him credit.
22 Go to commentsThanks again Nick and interesting comments from Parling about his lineout preferences. Bearing in mind what Schmidt has said about prioritising Oz based players initially we may not see Skeleton until the EOY trip to Ireland and the UK. To me that suggests that Cale has to be ready by then. In the meantime we get 3 jumpers by having 2 jumping locks and a Wright/Swinton/Holloway/Leota type of guy at 6. I think that he (Parling) would do well to coach Valentini and Wilson to jump more. Surely they could learn more about this?
14 Go to comments