'It's always dangerous when you walk in and you're telling fellas about a three and a five-year plan'
It is demonstrative of the rate of change that takes place in English coaching that Declan Kidney will next week celebrate the third anniversary of his arrival at London Irish as currently the fourth long-serving boss in their position in the Gallagher Premiership.
Such is the volatility of life in the top flight in England, only Exeter’s Rob Baxter, Newcastle’s Dean Richards and Bristol’s Pat Lam have been in their posts for longer than Kidney. Yet there was no guarantee when the 2009 Ireland Grand Slam-winning coach first walked in the door at the Exiles on March 9 in 2018 that he would still be going strong 36 months later.
Irish head to Leicester this Friday enjoying a rich vein of form, winning three and drawing two of their last six matches to lie seventh in the table. Such giddy heights were unimaginable given the mess Kidney inherited, an Irish rabble that were a dozen points behind Worcester and facing an inevitable relegation.
So it proved, the Exiles enduring a miserable top division exit where a total of 159 points and 22 tries came crashing down on them via Exeter, Saracens and Bath in their final three games. It has been a long road back, a Discover England ordeal in the second tier giving way to a challenging first season back in the Premiership where they managed just a single win in their nine post-lockdown games and just six in all during the season for a tenth place finish.
That was worrying given the massive level of investment poured into the recruitment of some stars of the world game, the likes of Sean O’Brien, Waisake Naholo, Adam Coleman and Sekope Kepu to name but four. Those first three names have all had significant injuries while Kepu last month quit the club for personal reasons.
Jackson hasn't been capped by Ireland since his high profile court case in 2018 #SixNations #PremRugbyhttps://t.co/weVTjyrJoJ
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 3, 2021
And yet, it suddenly all seems to be clicking for Irish. A new stadium move oozing with potential, hugely improved results, troubled players such as Paddy Jackson revelling in a new lease of life and plenty of attractive tapestries to suggest that the yo-yo Irish were spot on all those years ago in handing the reins to Kidney, someone who had been away from the sport since losing his gig as Ireland boss in 2013.
Three years on the beat, did Kidney think he would get that far with London Irish? “It’s always dangerous when you walk in and you’re telling fellas about a three- and a five-year plan because you never know you will be there or not,” he admitted when quizzed at the club’s weekly media conference by RugbyPass.
“I didn’t know whether anyone would want me back or not but what I did was I looked for two sorts of clubs: one was going to be something almost at the top, or a project and this is certainly a project. We played Gloucester in our first match (in 2018) and after about 15 minutes we were 17-0 up and I was thinking, ‘Sure there is nothing wrong here’. Then for the next hour, it showed us a few things.”
Irish beat Harlequins the following week before getting battered on their Premiership farewell by Saracens, Exeter and Bath. “They were fantastic matches for us to learn what was needed for the Premiership – you can’t just flick a switch and put that in place.
“In the last game against Bath that year, we played all the players who were going to be around with us again the following year in the Championship, so that showed us then where those lads were. It was Ben Loader’s first appearance in that particular game.
“Then the year in the Championship was a growth area for some of the younger players and we were heavy in recruiting then as well. I remember that November and December, Les (Kiss) and myself were talking to a number of lads and it takes a while for them to come on board.
“We were going into a World Cup year after the Championship and things weren’t too bad last January, we were starting to click into gear and then the way the journey has gone for us, Covid set in and presented its own challenges but we took decisions in the summer to make sure we would get the younger fellas more game time because felt it would accelerate their progress.
“Even though there was a bit of pain along the way to grow (eight defeats in nine), sometimes you have to be willing to take knocks on the chin and we took that during the summer and the players are starting to just get a bit of a reward for that now.”
It’s not just what is happening in front of his eyes on the pitch that has Kidney beaming either, it’s the whole make-up of the London Irish club that has him giddy over the potential that can be realised in the years to follow.
“This is actually a massive club,” he insisted. “The potential of it is huge and where we are is at the building stage. Like, the club went to America a few years ago for a match, got 20,000 at it. There are many different aspects of this club I can draw on. The amateur side of the club runs one of the biggest underage tournaments in non-pandemic times, with 2,000 kids here around Easter.
“Where are we [the professional team]? We’re just on an upward cycle and there is plenty of road ahead of us that we can grow in both on and off the pitch. To have the privilege of being involved when we moved into Brentford.
“I know I’m biased but of all the grounds I have played in for club rugby, I’m really looking forward to the day when we are playing well enough and we fill it. There will be some atmosphere. It could be a great day out for everybody at the game. So we are making progress but because of the size of the potential of what I see is the size of the club there is lots more growth in us.”
'Too many years fighting for that moment… I did everything, I gave my life to get this moment, I am part of that’
When @lospumas finally beat NZ @agustincreevy was 10k miles away in London. He recalls the decision that changed it all, w/ @heagneyl ???https://t.co/26M8D8Deel
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 29, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
Should've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to comments