Five steps to save London Irish from the drop
It has been a frustrating festive period for London Irish.
Heading into Christmas, they lost the potential 10-point swing result at the bottom of the table with Worcester Warriors, 23-8, before narrowly missing out on a much-needed win at home to Newcastle Falcons, falling to a 15-20 defeat at the Madejski Stadium.
It has left Irish 10 points adrift at the bottom of the table with 10 regular season games left in their Premiership campaign.
Another worrying factor is the improved form of Worcester, who currently sit in 11th, but a win or two for Irish over the next two months and Northampton Saints, who look to be in freefall currently, could be sucked into the relegation battle, too.
Director of rugby Nick Kennedy and his coaching team have an unenviable task on their hands over the next five months, but with a three-game swing all that separates them from the teams they are chasing, Premiership survival is not a lost hope yet.
We look at five steps Irish could take to help move themselves out of the drop zone and into the welcoming realm of midtable.
Call in help from former club stars
Kennedy and his staff have done an excellent job of rebuilding Irish after the club’s relegation in 2016 and it is a young group with a bright future in the game, but could former Irish stalwarts Paul Gustard and Mike Catt offer a helping hand?
Irish have scored less points and less tries than any other club in the Premiership, whilst they have conceded more in both categories than, again, any other Premiership club this season. It is unfair to put this all on coaches and like any club that gets promoted to the Premiership, the squad is undermanned in certain areas and lacks the quality that other sides further up the table can call upon.
That said, could Gustard and Catt help bring a spark?
Gustard recently spent a few days with Northampton, attempting to try and cure their defensive ails, and would surely be keen to help his former side. He and Catt will both have duties with England and Italy respectively soon, but if they could be lured to Hazelwood in the build-up to Irish’s European games, they might be able to try something new and provide a spark.
Tap up old connections
Another connection that could, perhaps, be utilised, is former Irish coach Richard Whiffin, who is currently the academy manager at Gloucester.
Gloucester are sitting on an enviable senior academy, stacked with talented players, some of whom are ready for more senior action and who – as of yet – haven’t been able to crack Johan Ackermann’s regular match-day squad.
If Whiffin could persuade Ackermann and David Humphreys that Charlie Beckett and Tom Hudson would benefit from a loan stint in south-west London, they would be valuable additions to the Irish squad.
Beckett, a former England U20 second row, would provide Irish with work rate in their engine room, a strong carrying presence and a player capable of running a more aggressive defensive system, the latter two of which have seemed to be missing for Irish in their tight five this season.
Hudson has been featuring for Gloucester, but with both Jason Woodward and Tom Marshall now fit, it seems as if his playing opportunities will, understandably, diminish. His incisive counter-attacking was key for Gloucester earlier in the season and he would offer a different dimension to the more controlled full-backs – Tommy Bell and Greig Tonks – currently playing for Irish.
Mid-season southern hemisphere recruits
RugbyPass understands that Irish are hoping to seal moves for two players in the next week or two, one of whom we believe to be Bulls scrum-half Piet van Zyl.
There are other players potentially available, too, some of whom could provide the dynamism that Irish are currently lacking.
Two casualties of Western Force’s demise who are yet to find a new home are energetic openside Kane Koteka and powerful N8 Ben McCalman. McCalman still has a year to go on his Australian contract, so would be a more complicated addition, but Koteka is an underrated player who was kept under the radar in Perth by the ever-impressive Matt Hodgson.
Elsewhere in Australia, Rebels hooker Siliva Siliva and Reds wing Chris Kuridrani have both missed out on their sides’ initial squads for the 2018 Super Rugby season, potentially making both available, at least on short-term deals.
In New Zealand, there are similar situations for Billy Guyton, Matt Vaega, Chase Tiatia, Sean Wainui and Geoffrey Cridge, whilst van Zyl’s Bulls teammate Arno Botha is reportedly also available in South Africa.
Give youth its chance to turn around the club’s fortunes
After Irish travel to Leicester this weekend, they are confronted by four-straight weeks of games where they will be able, if they want, to experiment with their line-up.
They face Krasny Yar home and away in the Challenge Cup, before Anglo-Welsh Cup fixtures with Wasps and Cardiff Blues. On the other side of that four-week period is a Premiership match with Sale Sharks at the Madejski, before Northampton away and then a home match with Worcester.
That three-week Premiership block is season-defining for Irish.
Before then, roll the dice on Josh Basham, Isaac Curtis-Harris and Jack Cooke in the pack, try the half-back pairing of Rory Brand and Theo Brophy-Clews and keep exposing Ben Loader to senior rugby. If they impress over that four-week period in Europe and the Anglo-Welsh, then Premiership spots are up for grabs.
There’s no denying this is a risky approach with those players lacking experience, but there’s a lot to be said about the fearlessness of youth. They are all good players and if they can make a statement in Europe and the Anglo-Welsh, why not give them a go against Sale, Northampton and Worcester?
Rejig defensively to be more aggressive
It is easy to sit and write that a team should be more aggressive in defence. That they should win more collisions, turnover more ball and not sit off and passively defend, but it’s a lot more difficult in practice to prepare a team to be able to do that consistently.
Irish’s defence was much improved against Newcastle this past week, but it has been an issue this season and it came to a head in their crunch match with Worcester at Sixways before Christmas, where the Warriors had all the time in the world to play.
This is bold and many will say crazy, but could Joe Cokanasiga defend in the midfield on first phase ball?
It has been an area where Irish’s defence has come unstuck regularly this season.
The ability to blitz up and tackle first and second receivers upon receiving the ball, or at least getting close enough to cause the fly-half to hesitate or make a mistake, can wreck attacking game plans. There is a lot of decision-making that goes into blitzing as a defender and it’s a steep learning curve to ask Cokanasiga to take on, especially halfway through a season.
It would also potentially allow a player like Luke McLean to take up Cokanasiga’s place on the wing in those defensive sets and he is well-skilled in dropping back and dealing with the kicking game an opposition fly-half might look to utilise. His own kicking game would be another option in the back three if the attacking side should look to play territory.
Comments on RugbyPass
Don’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
1 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
3 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to comments