Short-sighted thinking could cost Ireland at World Cup
RORY BEST is one of the most admirable figures in Irish rugby. Since making his debut in 2005, the Ireland captain has set exemplary standards in all he has done.
He is a quality player, a forthright and articulate speaker, a man defined by his workrate and commitment to the cause and an inspirational leader. But he is also 35. Being in his mid-30s does not preclude the Ulster hooker from excelling for Ireland in their November series — he had a superb Lions tour last summer, where there was a strong case for him to lead that expedition to New Zealand.
However, it does mitigate against the chances of Best still being close to the peak of his powers come the World Cup in Japan in 2019. By that stage, Best will be 37, a considerable age for any top-level sportsman — but especially so in a game which, year on year, is demanding more and more of players in terms of physical durability and stamina.
There is inevitable wear and tear as players head into their 30s, bodies becomes more brittle with injuries more difficult to recover from, and Best has just returned from persistent hamstring problems which ruled him out of the start of the season.
Whether Ireland are backing Best to lead them to Japan in two years’ time or whether they view retaining him as captain as a short-term option is unclear but, either way, it does appear to be a short-sighted one.
This was the time to start comprehensive planning for a tournament where Ireland have consistently failed to meet expectations and captaincy forms a major part of that equation.
Selecting a leader for whom age is not a factor sets the tone and it is notable that no World Cup-winning captain has exceeded Richie McCaw’s 34 years in 2015.
The ideal candidate to lead Ireland into the next tournament would be Peter O’Mahony (pictured) and, although you suspect he will ending up taking on that role in any case, now was the ideal time to install him.
The Corkman has just turned 28 and has been captaining teams his whole career — from underage rugby right up to leading the Lions into the first Test against New Zealand last June.
There may be fears that O’Mahony is under pressure for his place but, despite the claims of the likes of Rhys Ruddock (in superb form) and CJ Stander, the Munster captain is always worth his place, on the basis that he always produces.
World Cup planning was certainly factored into this squad in other ways, notably the omission of Munster’s Top14-bound back three star Simon Zebo.
No short-sighted thinking here, with a strong message to others thinking of leaving the Irish system. Zebo is not going to be considered because he will be playing abroad from next season, an entirely correct call.
There are also a clutch of younger players — Adam Byrne, Andrew Porter, James Ryan and Jacob Stockdale — selected with one eye very much on the World Cup.
However, the inclusion of Rob Kearney at the expense of Tiernan O’Halloran is harder to fathom.
Like Best, Kearney’s contribution to Irish rugby has been estimable but he has had his share of injury issues and will be 33 when Japan rolls around.
Yes, that is four years less than his captain, but there are few examples of back three players maintaining their peak into their mid-30s — witness the sharp decline of Mils Muliaina, one of the finest full-backs the game has produced, when he turned up in Connacht in 2014 aged 34.
The 26-year-old O’Halloran has been in exceptional form for Connacht, his pace and footballing ability making him especially effective in the counter-attacking game that is set to feature more prominently in Ireland’s make-up and his omission is strange on a number of levels.
As is that of hooker Sean Cronin. The Leinster No2 is only 31 and has amassed 56 caps since his debut in 2009. In the era of the ‘closer’ (players selected specifically for the impact they can have off the bench as games loosen up), there are few better.
Unless there is an injury we do not know about — it would have to be a serious one to rule him out of the next five weeks — the inclusion of Ulster’s journeyman South African Rob Herring ahead of Cronin is difficult to justify.
Ultimately, it is all about the World Cup from here on in — failure to reach a first semi-final at the ninth time of asking is too dreadful a prospect to contemplate — and these November games are merely a means to an end.
On that basis, this squad feels like an opportunity missed. Installing a new captain surrounded by players who will be still in their peak years in 2019 would have been a powerful statement, namely: Our World Cup starts here.
Instead, we have a ‘neither fox nor fowl’ selection — mixing definite nods to the future with a dogged clinging to the past.
It is a landscape that is likely to change as the World Cup buildup unfolds but Ireland could have got out ahead of it with this squad rather than pulling back in key areas.
Let us hope that is not a cause for regret down the road.
The clock is ticking.
‘Dropping Zebo is the correct call’