Irish rugby has traditionally offered a “Céad míle fáilte” to rugby players who came to play here, an embrace that didn’t diminish as the sport transitioned from amateur to professional.
The recent death of former All Black Alex “Grizz” Wyllie, who coached at Clontarf and down the road at St Paul’s College, reminded me of the positive influence that “foreign” players and coaches have had on the sport in this country.
John Mitchell, a forwards coach with Ireland and later coach of New Zealand, played for Garryowen. All Black prop Dave Hewett lined out for UCD. Joe Schmidt enjoyed his time at Mullingar. This represents the tip of the iceberg. The culture, values, way of thinking and rugby principles brought from other countries hugely facilitated the development of rugby in Ireland.
In Munster’s first Heineken Cup final appearance in 2000, the essence of the team was deeply rooted in the All-Ireland League but, crucially, the addition of John Langford from the Brumbies provided the province with a different dimension on and off the pitch. Jason Holland also improved the group.
While Irish rugby has been widely praised for the structures put in place from the dawn of professionalism, there were many within the organisation who were appalled at the idea of paying players to represent their province and country. I have first-hand experience of that attitude when I was negotiating some of my earlier contracts as a player.
There were people in Irish rugby who were able to look beyond a balance sheet and Declan Kidney was one of the shrewdest. He had many strengths and a few weaknesses as a coach, but one area in which he excelled was squad selection and management. Some players may disagree but I always felt he focused on getting combinations and units right within a team and was unafraid to experiment.
I benefited at times, but I also made way when Paddy Wallace hit a strong run of form for Ulster, as Kidney sought to incorporate a second playmaker into the backline. He also placed a strong emphasis on team culture. As Herb Kelleher, co-founder of Southwest Airlines, once said: “Culture is what people do when nobody is watching.”
The essence of a healthy culture is having the right people in the room and on a pitch, those who instinctively do the right thing 99.9 per cent of the time, setting an example even in those unseen moments. It’s no surprise that Kidney brought in a player such as Langford, a brilliant technician, to complement the ruggedness of Mick Galwey, Peter Clohessy and Anthony Foley.
Munster were slightly ahead of the curve in terms of recruitment in the early 2000s. Though they had captured the imagination of European rugby, they perhaps leant a little too heavily on the underdog tag and mentality.
In their first European final they were outgunned by a more diverse Northampton squad, then fell to a bruising Leicester Tigers team in another decider two years later. That Leicester team was formed by the backbone of England’s 2003 World Cup-winning side and bolstered by overseas talent such as Australian Rod Kafer, Samoan Freddie Tuilagi and All Black Josh Kronfeld.
When Munster finally secured the European title in 2006, the squad still featured many of the same faces from those painful losses, but crucially, two key overseas signings made an immense impact at the right time: South African centre Trevor Halstead and Argentinian prop Federico Pucciariello.
Halstead fostered calmness in attack and defence, and his ability to create gain-line carries brought out the best in those around him. Meanwhile, in those days tighthead props played the full 80 minutes every week, with John Hayes forming the rock upon which two Heineken Cups were built.
Pucciariello, dovetailed with Marcus Horan to give Munster an edge in the scrum. Kidney had found the right balance off the field and finally translated it into success on it. I’ve said many times before that Irish teams perform at their best when built upon a strong local backbone, enhanced by genuine international quality or high-impact project players.
That was the case for Munster when they won, and the same for Leinster when we found our playing identity and form on and off the field. Watching Jordie Barrett and RG Snyman over the weekend reinforced how important players of their calibre are to the title aspirations of Leo Cullen’s squad this season. Leinster’s defensive display was outstanding, with Will Connors and Scott Penny accounting for a quarter of all attempted tackles.
Snyman’s impact at the set piece may not be immediately obvious but it is deeply felt to a practised eye. Some of his ruck clear-outs verge on brutal in the best possible sense, and it’s clear how he has rejuvenated James Ryan.
However, it’s his ability to keep the ball alive that truly elevates those around him. He made seven offloads, compared with just five from the rest of the 22 Leinster players combined, as he showcased not just his skill but also his timing, decision-making and execution. Barrett and his Munster-based fellow Kiwi Alex Nankivell also exert great influences thanks to a shared ability to read the game rather than simply follow a pattern or set play. They pause, assess and adapt.
Nankivell consistently brings this impact to Munster; others feed off his presence, just as Tom Farrell and the back three did last weekend against the Glasgow Warriors. Barrett, Snyman and Nankivell all bring something special and different to their Irish teams. The obligation is on the younger players around them to absorb as much as possible while they are available to them. This is easier said than done.
It takes great self-confidence to use a Test All Black or a double World Cup-winning Springbok as your support or blind runner. You don’t reach their level without being both selfless and selfish at the right times; they will clear rucks and make the small, crucial connections when needed. The challenge for any young player is to ensure they aren’t simply facilitating others at their own expense.
For me, it never mattered whether I was learning from Adam Magro, Keith Gleeson, Brad Thorn, Felipe Contepomi, Ollie Le Roux or Chris Whitaker, there was always something new to absorb, a thought process to challenge. But you also had to maintain your own ambition to stay relevant. The legacy these players leave behind is crucial for Irish rugby. In an era of systems and structures, players can get lost, and careers can fly by in a heartbeat.
Hopefully, just as Ryan has shown his ability to benefit from the impact of Snyman, a younger generation watching Barrett, Nankivell, Bundee Aki, Mack Hansen and James Lowe up close are taking it all in, learning, challenging and shaping their own ambitions for the future.
