Gatland has an issue at No9...Cooney could solve it

IT WAS interesting to see Ross Byrne getting the love from the Irish rugby media this week. Byrne came off the bench for Johnny Sexton when Leinster were in bother away to Exeter in their Champions Cup quarter-final last Saturday and provided superb direction as Leo Cullen’s side secured the most impressive victory seen thus far in this season’s competition.

Cue Byrne being discussed as a serious proposition for Ireland for the first time – as though he had just burst upon the scene. The out-half was entitled to feel wryly bemused as the same pundits now showering him with praise had been casually overlooking his national claims in their haste to love-bomb his unproven younger brother Harry a few weeks previously.

Byrne has been the real deal for some time now but never widely acknowledged as such in spite of the overwhelming trust placed in him by two of the most astute minds in the game – Cullen and Stuart Lancaster – whose preferences at 10 forced rival Joey Carbery to switch to Munster.

The penny dropping on Byrne was another example of the type of reactionary analysis we see all too often in Irish rugby – not least with Andy Farrell, whose appointment as Ireland head coach was blithely welcomed and not seriously examined until a string of flat performances forced the issue.

Ulster scrum-half John Cooney can certainly relate to the Woodstock levels of flip-flopping Byrne experienced this week. When he was brought in to replace revered South African Ruan Pienaar at Ravenhill a few years ago, the decision was greeted with widespread outrage with Cooney caught in the crossfire.

The indignation gradually abated on the back of the consistently remarkable level of performance produced by the scrum-half up north until eventually it was aboutturn time again, with the analysts who were waving pitchforks at Pienaar’s exit suddenly deciding Cooney (right) was a ‘must-pick’ for Ireland.

The fact Cooney’s obvious abilities continue to be, bizarrely, overlooked at national level saw the enthusiasm for his claims dissipate and instead we were told how New Zealander Jamison Gibson-Park brought ‘tempo’ to the Ireland team – flying in the face of ample evidence that Cooney, and Luke McGrath, are clearly superior operators. Frustrating stuff but there may be significant compensation at hand, courtesy of Warren Gatland and the imminent selection of the Lions squad to tour South Africa this summer.

While strong, experienced competition at 10 may compromise Byrne’s chances of making the cut, Cooney should have a real shot given that the options at scrum-half are worryingly weak.

The proven quality of England’s Ben Youngs and Ireland’s Conor Murray is being undermined by inconsistent form while Gibson-Park and the frontline options from Scotland and Wales are not at the level required.

Meanwhile, based on study of Gatland’s long coaching career, Cooney is the New Zealander’s type of scrum-half. He likes a dominant, controlling presence at No9 – a decision-maker who can share the playmaking burden with his 10.

You think of Rob Howley’s presence on Gatland’s brilliant Wasps team of the mid-2000s or Mike Philips, so influential in the Welsh Grand Slams of 2008 and 2012, or indeed Murray at his peak during the Lions tour to New Zealand four years ago.

Cooney brings similar qualities to the table – the ability to ‘boss’ games with game-breaking interventions, leading to a plethora of man of the match awards and winning scores since joining Ulster – while his placekicking excellence would be an invaluable asset. He has had his temporary dips in form but right now looks to be on his game again, producing another scene-stealing display in last weekend’s Challenge Cup win over Northampton.

Irish rugby has a history of players more renowned for their Lions exploits than their achievements in the green jersey, going right back to Tony O’Reilly in the 1950s. While the likes of Paul Wallace, Jeremy Davidson, Eric Miller and Rob Henderson were all top-quality, their performances for the Lions were at a level they only intermittently matched when playing for their country.

However, while those players all won their share of Ireland caps, Cooney has suffered far more rejection than appreciation at national level. It is unusual these days for the Lions to select from beyond the pool of players on stage during the Six Nations but Gatland has a serious issue at scrumhalf and Cooney going up against Youngs next Friday when Leicester host Ulster in the Challenge Cup semi-final will be a contest well worth watching. Cooney may not be broadly considered a live Lions candidate for now, but look out for the reactionary analysis if he does his thing at Welford Road next weekend.