RUGBY:ALAN GAFFNEY has unsurprisingly been co-opted onto the new Irish coaching ticket as backs coach by Declan Kidney, while Mark Tainton has been reappointed as kicking coach. Gaffney's appointment is not anticipated to interfere with his role as assistant coach at Leinster to Michael Cheika, who has warmly welcomed the development.
Both men were formally introduced to the extended 45-man squad chosen by Kidney for a four-day pre-season get-together in Cork yesterday morning, where the players underwent fitness testing as part of their pre-season fitness and condition programme.
The popular and experienced Gaffney retains an in-depth knowledge and respect of a strong core of the Irish squad ever since his stints as assistant coach to Matt Williams at Leinster (2000-01 to 2002-03) and head coach in succession to Kidney at Munster (2002-03 to 2004-05).
Tainton, the former Bristol outhalf who scored over 3,000 points in his career and played for England As and under-23s, has been Ireland kicking coach since 2003.
"We are delighted to have both Alan and Mark on board with Ireland," commented Kidney yesterday. "Both of them are extremely strong technical coaches in their areas and I think they will bring a further positive mix to the coaching team and squad.
"Alan brings with him experience of both international and most importantly Irish rugby.
"Mark is recognised as one of the top kicking coaches in the world and his experience of working with the squad in the past will help with the transition over the next number of weeks."
In Gaffney's spells with the two Irish provinces, Leinster thrillingly won the inaugural Celtic League and were quarter-finalists in the Heineken Cup and Munster won the Celtic League and Celtic Cup and were semi-finalists and finalists in the Heineken Cup.
The life member of the Randwick club in Sydney - who also assisted Matt Williams at the New South Wales Waratahs (1997-99) - returned to Australia for a brief stint as backs coach to the Wallabies before assuming the role of director of rugby at Saracens in 2005.
There, he led the London club into the Guinness Premiership play-offs and then the Heineken Cup, where they extended Munster in the semi-finals last season.
Cheika brought him back to the Leinster fold during the summer, and doesn't foresee any difficulties in Gaffney's dual responsibilities.
"The parameters of how it is going to work are pretty clear and I've been involved in the process all the time," said Cheika.
"It's not going to interfere with Alan's role at Leinster, and if anything it might provide some continuity in that some of the players he'll be working with will be involved with both Leinster and Ireland."
Gaffney's dual Ireland/Leinster commitments also effectively rule out any possibility of him continuing to operate in a consultancy capacity for Saracens, which might have proved even more demanding.
The Leinster head coach also underlined that Gaffney's role with Leinster is slightly different in that, although ostensibly replacing the departed David Knox, he is more than just a specialist backs coach with the province.
"He's been doing a lot of handling work with the forwards as well. He's been a head coach so it's offered a good deal of flexibility.
"We can adopt different roles and sometimes it allows me to sit back and watch. It's been really good so far.
"The times he's going to be with Ireland are generally going to be down times with Leinster anyway," added Cheika, in reference to autumnal Irish Tests against Canada, New Zealand and Argentina, when the Magners League takes a four-week break, along with the Six Nations, which coincides with blank weekends in the league.
"It's a positive for Leinster, it's a positive for Ireland and it's a positive for Alan," continued Cheika. "Everyone's on the same page. There's been consultancy the whole way along the line.
"Riff is a senior coach too, so it's good to have that expertise in both camps. It will challenge him too and he's been a great influence since he's been here."
Along with the appointment of two vastly experienced coaches in the former Kangaroos rugby league, Springboks and New South Wales Waratahs former defensive coach Lee Kiss, and the ex-Sprinboks World Cup winning assistant/forwards coach Gert Smal, as well as Paul McNaughton as manager, this completes the make-up of Kidney's new Irish coaching ticket. The only vacancy to be filled is that of strength-and-conditioning coach, following the departure of Mike McGurn, who has since assumed that position with the Ospreys.
Meanwhile, an IRFU spokesperson admitted the mooted Test with the Springboks in Dubai on the first weekend in November is "highly unlikely" to go ahead.WORLD CUP winners Fourie du Preez and Jaque Fourie have been named as reserves in South Africa's line-up for the Mandela Tribute Test match against Argentina in Johannesburg on Saturday.
The return of the outstanding scrumhalf and outside centre will come as a welcome relief for the Springboks, who will be without the former IRB players of the year Bryan Habana and Schalk Burger.
South Africa coach Peter de Villiers said yesterday Habana (shoulder) and Burger (neck) were being rested ahead of the home leg of the Tri-Nations.
"It's precautionary; we're blessed to be able to give them another week of recovery, but both could have played if we needed them," De Villiers said.
Du Preez (hand) and Fourie (groin) will be playing international rugby for the first time this year.
"We will see what happens on the field in terms of when we can use them off the bench, but we know they're ready," De Villiers said.
SOUTH AFRICA (v Argentina, Saturday, Johannesburg): C Jantjes; JP Pietersen, A Jacobs, J de Villiers, Ji Nokwe; B James, E Januarie; T Mtawarira, B du Plessis, CJ van der Linde; B Botha, V Matfield; L Watson, J Smith, P Spies. Replacement: A Strauss, B Mujati, A Bekker, J van Niekerk, F du Preez, J Fourie, P Montgomery.
