Kennedy’s plea to stop the drop
LONDON IRISH director of rugby Nick Kennedy has called for the Premiership to scrap promotion and relegation as he battens down the hatches for the survival scrap ahead.
Kennedy’s side travel to high-flying Newcastle tonight one place off the foot of the table as the reality of life back in the Premiership begins to bite.
The opening-day win over Harlequins has receded into the distance and, after three heavy defeats, the Exiles are facing up to a fight to avoid going the same way as the last Championship winners, Bristol, who went straight back down.
The spectre of relegation is likely to be a constant companion this season but Kennedy has come to the conclusion it would not only be better for his side, but for English rugby as a whole to move to a fixed Pro14-style system.
“A couple of years ago I was 100 per cent in favour of promotion and relegation because I felt we had to keep the romance of sport. However, now my job is very much on the line I want to ring-fence the Premiership,” said Kennedy.
“It would allow me to develop my youngsters more and to develop whatever brand of rugby I wanted. You would still be desperate to win but the pressure would be off certain teams and you would probably see more attractive rugby.
“What do people want to see? Running rugby is the answer that the majority of people would give.”
Irish are providing plenty of tries… but unfortunately for the opposition, with the leakiest defence in the league currently conceding 35 points a game. With Newcastle, coached by Kennedy’s former tenant Dave Walder, in the play-off places a finger needs to be put in the dam tonight.
“The league has moved on in the year we have been away – attack seems to be winning the day – and our defence hasn’t been good enough,” said Kennedy.
“That is completely my fault. I wasn’t giving enough time, care and attention in training to the defence.”
JAMES O’CONNOR is set to make his Sale debut off the bench against Gloucester tonight.
The former Wallaby, who joined from Toulon in the summer, has shaken off the ankle problem that has delayed his involvement.
But if England go into the winter without Ben Stokes, captain Joe Root and coach Trevor Bayliss will have to work out how they fill the hole.
No one in the current England set-up would leave a bigger one than the all-rounder, given his importance with bat, ball, in the field and as the competitive heartbeat of the side.
And there is no like-forlike replacement waiting in the wings, either with the Lions or in the county game.
Stokes’ absence would force a rejig of a middle order that had looked settled during the summer. Whatever the failings of those before them – and there have been plenty – the reliability provided by Stokes, Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali at six, seven and eight has been impressive.
And if Bayliss likes the balance of bat and ball that England have chanced upon this summer, deploying two from James Vince, Dawid Malan and Gary Ballance rather than all three would seem most likely.
The best option could be to sacrifice Stokes’ batting for an extra bowler, and if that is to work Chris Woakes has to stand up in both disciplines – possibly batting as high as No6 in the order.
Woakes has struggled with fitness this summer after suffering a side strain in the Champions Trophy. He missed the entire South Africa series and all but one of the following Tests against West Indies. There was understandable
My job is very much on the line