BRIAN ASHTON, who resigned last Monday as chief coach to the Bath club, yesterday joined the Irish management team as coaching adviser to the side for the duration of the Five Nations Championship. Ashton's appointment comes in the wake of the departure early this week of Murray Kidd. The position of Ireland team coach as such will remain open.
Ashton will be working with the Irish backs - Kidd was also primarily a backs coach - while former All Black Mike Brewer will continue to coach the forwards, as he has been doing since the start of the season.
Ashton's appointment was announced by the IRFU yesterday and came after he had been interviewed in Dublin on Wednesday. He was chosen by the election sub committee of the union, the body responsible for selecting the coach and selectors. That consists of Eddie Coleman, chairman, Noel Murphy, the junior vice president of the union, and Syd Millar, last season's IRFU president.
In naming a successor to Kidd, it was always highly probable in the circumstances that, irrespective of whoever the IRFU appointed, his tenure would only be for the duration of the championship. But I have no doubt that the IRFU hope that Ashton will prove sufficiently accomplished to be offered the job on a permanent basis.
The only complication in that could come from England. The England coach Jack Rowell is under pressure and, if his side does not have a good run in the championship, then his tenure of office will surely be terminated at the end of the Five Nations Championship. There are powerful figures in England who would like Ashton take over as England coach
But the Ireland manager Pat Whelan is hoping that Ashton's tenure with Ireland will extend well beyond the end of the championship. He has a tremendous record and is one of the most innovative coaches in the Northern Hemisphere. He completely changed Bath's style of play and after doing so brought the club great success.
Neither I nor anyone else can expect him to perform miracles in a short space of time but he will be of immense help to us during the championship and I hope in the longer term he will be able to bring the same level of innovation and success to us as he has done elsewhere. He has been dealing with a team of international players at Bath. He is used to dealing with players at that level and that obviously is also a very important factor.
Ashton's reaction to his appointment was one of surprise that he had been approached and appointed. "Obviously lam very honoured to be involved with Ireland. It embraces a considerable challenge. But then any position of that nature means a big challenge.
"I was surprised initially to be approached and surprised to be appointed. It has all happened very quickly. I was contacted on Tuesday and asked to travel to Dublin on Wednesday. I did that and met the IRFU officials."
On the suggestion that he had been approached by England coach Jack Rowell to join the England coaching team he said that he was surprised at some of the comments on that issue. "They indicated a situation about my becoming involved with them as being much more firm than I saw the position. I did not see things in any way as firm as was suggested. England have back coaches in place as things stand."
On his knowledge of the Irish players he said: "I would not say I have a great knowledge of the individual players. Basically my knowledge of them has come from seeing them in opposition when they played against Bath. As I say the job is a challenge but I am really looking forward to that challenge and to working with and helping Ireland."
His first experience with the players will come on Monday when the Ireland squad will start preparations in Limerick for the match against France tomorrow week.
Ashton (50), is a former scrum half who played for Orrell and Lancashire. He was a member of the England squad that toured Australia in 1975. In addition to playing for Orrell, he also played for the Montferrand club in France and was, for a time player coach with Milan. During his spell in Italy he struck up a close friendship with former French international Pierre Villlepreux, who has now been brought into the French team set up.
Ashton was assistant England coach to Dick Greenwood in 1984 and was also assistant coach when England toured New Zealand in 1985. He has also coached the England Schools and England Colts teams. He joined forces with Rowell in a coaching capacity at Bath in 1989, and prior to Rowell taking up the England coaching job in the summer of 1994, the club won the league title four times and the Cup three times in the period from 1989 to 1994. After Rowell's departure, Bath also won the cup in 1995 and last season completed the league and cup double.
A school teacher in King's Burton, Somerset, he resigned that post on July 1st and took up a full time position as chief coach to Bath. But things did not work out between him and the club's rugby director John Hall, but his problems in recent times at Bath did not in any way involve the players. He maintained a dignified silence during recent weeks when it was apparent that there were problems at the club. His 190 days tenure as full time coach ended when he resigned last Monday. His departure from Bath had been anticipated.
The Ireland team to meet France will be chosen in Dublin tonight and will be announced tomorrow night in Limerick after the selectors have watched some matches on Saturday afternoon and send back their reports to the manager. One of the players who will be watched is Jim Staples. He is due to play for Harlequins against Bath tomorrow. That marks his return after sustaining a jaw injury, ironically against Bath on December 7th. It was thought at one time he would be out of the game for the duration of the championship.
