KISS DESPERATE TO QUELL TERRACE ANGER
Kiss desperate for Euro win to quell terrace anger and reignite belief he’s the right man for the job
NOT since 1999, when David Humphreys shot the Saturday lunchtime lights out with his mesmerising destruction of Stade Francais in a European semifinal, have Ulster had as big a rugby match in Belfast.
If they beat leaders La Rochelle today, they surprisingly move top of Champions Cup Pool 1 with one round to go and will renew wavering belief that Les Kiss is the right man to have in charge.
Lose, though, and tomorrow week’s group finale at Wasps will become irrelevant for a club generally on a downward spiral ever since Humphreys quit as director of operations in June 2014.
Kiss is already under heavy shelling following the Pro14 capitulations at Connacht and Leinster either side of Christmas. And with Ulster having failed to win their three home matches in a European pool campaign since the 2013/14 campaign prior to Humphreys’ exit, they appear to have a mountain to climb today to keep qualification hopes ticking over for another eight days.
All the recent criticism has been centred around Kiss but the general stagnation at a club that should consistently be performing better goes further than the former Ireland assistant. But there is no sign of accountability at the top for this malaise.
Where once Shane Logan was an approachable figure, readily highlighting how he would even spend 30 minutes before a home game walking the ground to canvass the opinions of the supporters, the shutters have fallen in recent times at a club where its team is losing is local identity.
When Logan was recruited in early 2010, swopping his promenade terrace vantage point for a cushy stand seat, he was the first new chief executive at any of the four provinces since Mick Dawson’s appointment at Leinster in 2001.
Hopes were high at the time. The then 47-year-old was wideeyed and full of ambition and had no hesitation sharing his thoughts just months into his reign.
‘I’m no less emotional. No less desperate for the team to win,’ he said having moved from frustrated terrace fan to position of authority. ‘I’m probably keener for the team to win. My future depends on it. The future of our rugby is more dependent on it and I’m closer to what’s going on, closer to the players and coaches. There’s now more riding on it for me. ‘I was one of the 40,000 Ulstermen in Dublin in ’99 spending an estimated minimum £5 million. That was in the very early days of professionalism. If that amount of potential can be released so long ago before Munster and Leinster’s excellence, we have absolutely the potential to be on a par with and move ahead, to be among the best sides in Europe and aim to be the best. ‘I want to win the European Cup… we’re moving on and not willing to accept being stagnant. In business and in sport unless you aim to be absolutely the best you’re going to fall way short. We have to set our sights against the best because the best is always a moving feast.’
It’s a top-table banquet increasingly beyond the reach of Ulster, who never would have imagined the under-appreciated Brian McLaughlin’s spell in charge would be their zenith, his three, unbeaten home European seasons culminating in reaching the 2012 decider.
Mark Anscombe was a double quarter-finalist in the two immediate seasons after, but they face a fourth consecutive pool elimination unless all the stops are pulled out and La Rochelle are beaten.
It was this time last year when Steven Ferris feared there would be trouble ahead this season. ‘It seems another transitional period for Ulster is likely if they do bring in another couple of coaches at the end of the season. It’s a sticky situation,’ he predicted 12 months ago, claiming rugby no longer has room for transitional periods.
‘You would have got away with that four or five years ago, but rugby is more and more like football and your neck is on the chopping block if you underperform. That’s the way it’s going with more and more money coming into the game and a lot more expectation when it comes to hiring coaches.
‘You hire someone like Les Kiss, straight away fans are thinking, “This guy worked under Joe Schmidt for a number of years, has won a Grand Slam, a couple of Six Nations”. Fans are expecting big things and it’s just not happened.’
A TV pundit regularly outspoken regarding the club’s inconsistencies, Ferris even tweeted over Christmas how he had been unfollowed on Twitter by Kiss, whose area of expertise at Test level is under much scrutiny with Ulster’s defence creaking.
Only Dragons, Kings and Zebre have conceded more tries than Ulster’s 43 in 13 Pro14 outings, and with 15 leaked in their three holiday matches against the provinces, many angry terrace eyes will focus on Kiss if this perplexing gift giveaway continues with the French in town.
The Aussie was a class above when coaching Ireland’s defence, departing on the back of successive Six Nations titles where just seven tries were given up in 10 games. But Ulster’s rearguard has too often got its wires crossed since the December 2016 exit of Joe Barakat, the defence specialist who hasn’t been directly replaced, leaving Kiss and Co to pick up the tab.
Lose today and they will be sent to Coventry fearing a sting in the tale from the likely cranky fallout. Beat Rochelle, though, and all the rancour will be temporarily forgotten for eight days. They must grab the lifeline.
‘Fans expect big things but it’s just not happened’