On Rugby: Whenever Declan Kidney has been asked about David Holwell, either on his arrival or before or after any of his four outings, the Leinster coach has responded, "He's an outhalf." At first hearing, it would seem one of Kidney's typically non-committal or enigmatic responses. It's now becoming clearer that, of course, it says a multitude.
Holwell, unlike Felipe Contepomi or Christian Warner for example, is simply a specialist outhalf. And that's what Leinster needed pretty much since Alan McGowan's heyday. The list of would-be number 10s to have worn the jersey reaffirms what a problem position it's been for the province.
"Don't list them," Tom McGurk implored George Hook during the interval of the Leinster-Bath match last Saturday, not least because there simply wouldn't have been time in between advertisement breaks. Richard Governey, Richie Murphy, Barry Everitt, Mark McHugh, Emmett Farrell, Nathan Turner, Simon Broughton, Aidan Dunne, Eddie Hekenui, Nathan Spooner, Brian O'Meara, Warner and Contepomi have all had stints there, and even Brian O'Driscoll was tried there once.
It was no coincidence Leinster's best run of form, the 15-match winning sequence that propelled them to the inaugural Celtic League triumph and a breakthrough quarter-final appearance in the European Cup, met with Spooner's arrival. Until, of course, the injury jinx struck, pressing O'Driscoll into service as an emergence number 10 on that thankless day against an inspired Toulouse, before an unfit Spooner was wheeled out against Leicester.
Brent Pope made what undoubtedly has appeared over recent weeks to be a valid comparison between Spooner and Holwell. In that same unflustered way and in his body language, Holwell conveys the impression of one who is confident in his ability and those around him.
His second outing, away to the Ospreys, would have been quite an eye-opener for him, not just because a facial injury required several minutes out of the game being patched up. The Ospreys' blitz defence looked to be flirting outrageously with the offside line and in his time with the Wellington Hurricanes he can rarely have encountered so much "man and ball" in one season of Super 12 rugby.
But he has adapted quickly, knuckled down at training according to Leinster sources and on Saturday his quality began to shine through. As commented here after his opening game, being of good farming stock on the north island, he is not inclined to shirk the physical stuff.
He has good hands, as demonstrated by his adhesive taking of O'Meara's service, and his distribution, often in front of Gordon D'Arcy and O'Driscoll, invited them to run on to the ball usually in space. Throw in his place-kicking, five from five, and line-kicking, and general reading of what is required, and Kidney appears to have made a singularly shrewd signing.
One ventures two aspects of Leinster's performance will have had a positive impact on their collective psyche for the tougher tests ahead. One is Holwell, showing his team-mates they have a natural, specialist number 10 jersey, and their defence, as good as anything they've produced since the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons.
The presence of an assured and, more often, an experienced outhalf in the key pivotal, playmaking and often goal-kicking role was underlined over the weekend. Ronan O'Gara's latest master class in tactical kicking was central to Munster turning the tables and the screw on the Ospreys on Sunday and although Ulster's David Humphreys seemed to have a bit of a horror show at Gloucester on Saturday, he had been yet again a match-winner extraordinaire in their preceding win over Cardiff.
Even exceptional talent, such as Osprey's Gavin Henson's and Harlequins' Jeremy Staunton's, can only fulfil its potential with experience. It was striking how Henson, during their spell of pressure inside the last 10 minutes, didn't drop back into the pocket and opt for a drop goal, all the more so given he has perhaps the most prodigious range of probably any outhalf around and had attempted one from fully half-way earlier in the second period.
Apparently, his skipper Barry Williams had been imploring him to do so during that spell of pressure and Henson did appear to drop back into the pocket on one occasion, but Jason Spice was unaware he had done so. But who's to say Munster wouldn't have come downfield in the remaining 10 minutes or so of play and win the game, whether by O'Gara or doing so or by another means?
Munster and O'Gara had done so in Glasgow with only 40 seconds remaining and would he have missed with his own late attempt had the match been riding on it? Aside from missing a penalty Staunton and Harlequins also failed to engineer a late drop-goal attempt in their draw at home to Castres. Would Paul Burke, with his vastly greater experience, have done so? The effect of Paul Grayson's return at Northampton, even at 34, was palpable in the way he marshalled their win over Llanelli. Suddenly, for the first time this season perhaps, the Saints' galaxy of imports looked a team.
Afterwards, the Scarlets coach Gareth Jenkins lamented the Welsh RU's decision to impose a limit of two "foreign" players per team in Wales, but this seemed like a knee-jerk reaction to a disappointing Welsh haul of one win in eight. Ironically, according to Welsh sources, Llanelli were offered Holwell at the start of the season but baulked at the asking price and opted for Arwel Thomas who, sadly, looks like a shadow of his sleight former self.
It's disappointing Ireland isn't producing more outhalves, or isn't utilising the system to give them more game-time in the provincial set-ups, but Paul Warwick's arrival at Connacht reaped its richest dividend yet on Saturday with his phenomenal display against Narbonne. Those wise Cork men, messrs Kidney and Bradley, have bought shrewdly alright.
