World Cup may prove a step too far for Best, says Kingston
FORMER Ireland skipper Terry Kingston believes keeping Rory Best as captain through to next year’s World Cup would be a ‘big call’ but says head coach Joe Schmidt still has time to reassess the situation. Kingston, who like Best was a hooker renowned for his scrummaging and hard edge, won 30 caps for Ireland between 1987 and 1996, playing in three World Cups and captaining Ireland to the tournament in South Africa in 1995. It puts him in a good position to assess the contribution of Ireland’s current hooker and captain, who turns 36 in August, and specifically whether Best can continue in both roles to spearhead Ireland’s Japan 2019 campaign. And Kingston is not convinced it is the best option for Ireland as they seek to reach their first World Cup semi-final at their ninth time of asking. ‘Best has done very well for Ireland, he’s been a top player for years, an excellent scrummager and great around the park,’ said Kingston. ‘Overall he has been very good, I just think asking him to continue on for another year and a half until the World Cup is a big call,’ he added. ‘I stopped playing for Ireland at 32 after nearly 10 years when it was starting to take a toll on the body and even though players are managed a lot better these days, the hits are a lot bigger now too and you wonder if a fellah could keep going into his late 30s, particularly in a position like hooker.’ However, Kingston believes Schmidt still has time on his side and enough quality options, at hooker and captain, if he does decide to make a change. ‘There is still time, the situation can be assessed through the Six Nations and the summer tour to Australia would be a good place to look at some other options if he wants to. There’s a bunch of other hookers out there. I’m a big fan of Sean Cronin’s, he is an outstanding player and I think he would do very well if he was giving a run from the start. ‘Niall Scannell has impressed me as well. I know he’s had his injury issues but he looks to have the right stuff and is still developing, he could be really good by the time the World Cup comes around. ‘In terms of captain, Peter O’Mahony would be the obvious choice, he’s a natural leader and we’ve seen that over the years since he came through as a youngster.’ As regards this evening’s showdown in Stade de France, Kingston is confident Ireland can get their campaign off to a winning start. His own career featured four trips to Paris, starting at hooker in 1988, 1990 and 1994 and on the bench behind Steve Smith in 1992, all of which ended in heavy defeats. However, Kingston says the situation now has totally flipped with Ireland forging ahead in the modern game as the French have fallen back. ‘We were proper amateurs back then and we knew the French lads were effectively semi-pro. They were playing for clubs with big money men backing them and were looked after. ‘Going to Parc des Princes was an experience alright, not a pleasant one. They had their own special ball, the pitch seemed to be huge and there were bands playing and the crown roaring out La Marseillaise at you, it was definitely intimidating. ‘It was the old story then of doing okay in the first half and then being blown away in the second, that was when their fitness would kick in and the crowd would be egging them on and the French would run riot on the hard ground.’ Those were quality French sides in Kingston’s time, packed with legendary names like Serge Blanco, Philippe Sella and Philippe Saint-Andre in the backs and Abdel Benazzi, Marc Cecillon and Laurent Cabannes in the pack. The current crop are noticeably short on star names whereas Ireland look to have their deepest squad for some time and Kingston believes it tees up Ireland for only their fourth win in the French capital in 46 years. ‘We’re in a seriously strong position. The provinces have gone well in Europe, Leinster especially, and there are lot of good young players after coming through now. You could say France have four teams in the Champions Cup quarter-finals, but their key players are foreigners. ‘There is no need for Ireland to be scared going to Paris any more and I think we’ll win and have a good Six Nations. There is nothing to fear.’