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The 'smashing' verdict of ex-Ireland boss Kidney on Andy Farrell

By Liam Heagney
(Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Former Ireland boss Declan Kidney believes that the upcoming tour to New Zealand 14 months before the start of the 2023 World Cup is the perfect trip for Andy Farrell and his squad of newly-crowned Triple Crown winners. Ireland finished off their Guinness Six Nations championship with a convincing win over Scotland last Saturday in Dublin and the coach who took them on their last three-Test series to the home of the All Blacks reckons the July tour is ideal preparation ahead of France 2023. 

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Kidney was at the helm in 2012 when he took Ireland south for the series that was played out in Auckland, Christchurch and Hamilton. The Irish ultimately suffered a 3-0 Test series defeat, losing the final game by a record 0-60 score. However, they had come within a late Dan Carter drop goal of getting their first-ever win over the All Blacks the previous weekend.  

Ireland have not been back in New Zealand in the ten years since then due to the curious international Test rugby tour schedule, but they have beaten the All Blacks in three of their last five meetings, a sequence that began with the 2016 win in Chicago and ended with last November’s Autumn Nations Series victory in Dublin.  

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With Ireland having since gone on to finish second to France in the recent Six Nations following wins over Wales, Italy, England and the Scots, they will now be hugely optimistic about the Test series which opens in 15 weeks’ time in Auckland on July 9.   

“I’m delighted for them,” said Kidney to RugbyPass when asked if he still followed the fortunes of the national team he coached from 2008 to 2013, famously winning the 2009 Grand Slam in Cardiff. “Winning breeds winning and I think Andy is doing a smashing job. 

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“He has the squad in a good place and now they will have a tough tour. I’m glad to see us going to New Zealand before the World Cup rather than after. That will be a good learning experience there as well too. All the coaches are doing a smashing job there. It will test out the whole squad and the whole squad will have to stand up.

“If they can get midweek matches and travel with a bigger group that will stand them in good stead for the World Cup. New Zealand is a great place to tour. You are there to the middle of winter from our summer. You are going to go into a real rugby environment and it is a fantastic preparation 14 months out from a World Cup.”

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Kidney would have twice coached against Farrell at Test level as the current Ireland boss was the England defence coach under Stuart Lancaster for the 2012 and 2013 Anglo-Irish fixtures in the Six Nations. “I have only met him once or twice just to stake hands with him but looking from afar, they are doing a smashing job. The players are enjoying themselves. Long may that continue.”

It was last December when current London Irish boss Kidney was linked with heading back to Munster after it was confirmed that head coach Johann van Graan is leaving at the end of this season to join Bath. Kidney guided the Irish province to European glory in 2006 and 2008 before taking in the Ireland job, but he has now dismissed his reported potential return as media speculation. “I’d imagine so, yeah,” he said vaguely. 

What he was more open about was the prospect of London Irish hosting a 17,000 capacity crowd this Saturday in the Gallagher Premiership for the first time at their new home in Brentford. The Exiles are riding high in the table in sixth place and they are looking to enhance their playoff prospects with a win over Northampton.

“I’d like to think some of the people are coming on the basis of what we have done to date and others people are coming for the tradition of the occasion [the club’s annual St Patrick’s party fixture]. We will do our best to play the best game we can. It is something the supporters buy into as well. We know we are far from perfect and we know we make errors – but we make errors because we are trying things.”

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Adrian 1 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

8 Go to comments
T
Trevor 3 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
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Bull Shark 7 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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