Johnny Wattersonhears how coach Declan Kidney has upped the Ireland playing schedule

YESTERDAY’S IRELAND schedule announcement for 2009 is seen as putting a hard shape on Ireland coach Declan Kidney’s thinking. Not only is the Ireland management seeking to play an extra international fixture in the Guinness Series next autumn and stage four Test matches, as opposed to the traditional three, during that November international window, it is envisaged that the additional match will be held outside Ireland.

The weekend of November 5th-8th has been left vacant for that away game which, according to Ireland manager Paul McNaughton, will possibly be against South Africa in Hong Kong. Last season the IRFU were reportedly in talks with the South Africa Rugby Union (SARU) about staging a game in Dubai but that did not materialise.

The current home schedule has the first week of November free for the away match, with Ireland facing Australia in the second week of the month followed by Fiji and, finally, South Africa on November 28th-29th.

The finalised date for the South Africa fixture finishes off what will be a busy year for Ireland players as well as those on the fringe of the senior squads. Including the five games of the Six Nations Championship, which begins next week, there are 14 Irish international matches this year.

Yesterday Kidney also confirmed that Brian O’Driscoll, had again accepted his job as Ireland team leader. The 51-times centre stood down this season for Leo Cullen as captain of Leinster and was not named as captain when the extended squad for the Six Nations Championship was announced.

That omission fuelled speculation going into Kidney’s first Six Nations Championship. However, the coach explained the captaincy was not announced until now to allow O’Driscoll concentrate on his own game with Leinster until the Heineken Cup pool matches had ended.

“Only one person can be captain and Brian has the appetite for doing it,” explained Kidney. “We gave him some space over the past few weeks to get himself up and going again because he is inclined to put himself out there for the team. He was not feeling the best over Christmas, but he is coming back to form again now. I am delighted that he has agreed.”

Kidney also alluded to the qualities of secondrow Paul O’Connell, who has had an outstanding few months as Munster captain, as well as the experience of outhalf Ronan O’Gara.

“We are very lucky we have a lot of good leaders in our group with a lot of guys who have stepped up before,” added Kidney.

“But Brian has been doing an exceptionally good job and he is the first to admit it is not job a for one person. He needs good leaders around him as well and he knows he has them.”

O’Driscoll spoke to O’Connell, O’Gara, Ulster captain Rory Best and other senior players on the squad before agreeing to continue.

He also added he had not had any contact with the Lions management with regard to the captaincy. His last term there ended a couple of minutes into the first Test match against New Zealand.

“To be honest with you, I don’t know what it is like not to be captain [of Ireland]. I don’t know any different as I have been captain for so long and would have to jog my memory as to when I was not captain,” he said.

“I am feeling a little bit better now and hope to get back to the form of old.”

Also central to the year are the national coach’s plans for the further development of the extended Irish panel, with the announcement of a summer tour in May.

This involves matches against Canada and the US and is intended to give a greater depth of experience to the wider group of players from which he is likely to make future selections.

Clearly that trip will not contain players of O’Driscoll or O’Connell’s stature and will be used to expose fringe players as well as those not involved in the Heineken Cup final or the Lions Tour to South Africa, to Test match rugby.

The game against Canada will take place on May 23rd, with Ireland playing the US a week later. The Churchill Cup, again a tournament for Ireland A players rather than those firmly established on the senior squad, follows in June, where three matches have been arranged.

In all, the Six Nations, the summer tour, Churchill Cup and Guinness Series will see over 60 players come under the critical eye of the Ireland coaching staff.

Kidney also suggested his selection for the opening Six Nations match against France next month would not contain such dramatic changes. “You cannot expect 10 new caps to go out and win an international. It just does not happen like that,” he warned.

Regarding the leg injury sustained by Keith Earls playing for Munster against Montauban, Kidney said he was monitoring the situation and was hopeful the player would be available for possible Ireland selection.

Meanwhile, Munster and London Irish are in an apparent tug of war over the European champions’ Australian outhalf cum fullback Paul Warwick, writes Gerry Thornley. The Premiership club released a statement late yesterday afternoon claiming that Warwick “will join the club at the start of next season”.

“The Munster star player has signed a three-year contract that will keep him with the Exiles until the end of the 2011-12 season.” However, Munster dispute this, and believe that the player intends re-signing for the province.

After three prolific seasons with Connacht, Warwick has been a huge success with Munster over the last three seasons.

He won a Heineken Cup medal with them last season, had a starring role in the epic battle with the All Blacks and has become an integral part of both their Magners League and Euro squads this season as outhalf cover to Ronan O’Gara and occasional full-back. In 33 games with Munster, the 28-year-old has scored 213 points.

Like other foreign players in the Irish provincial set-up, Warwick appears to have been left in limbo by the IRFU’s decision to have each province trim their allotted number of non-Irish qualified players from six to, at first, four and latterly a compromise of five.

It would appear his wish is for him and his young family to stay on with Munster for another two years, but London Irish are adamant that he is their player from next season.