RUGBY: Will he stay or will he go? The outcome of the tug-of-war between the IRFU/Leinster Branch and Saracens over the services of Matt Williams is very interesting from a number of perspectives.
Whichever way it pans out, it is something of a litmus test for the IRFU and their much-lauded structures. It's no great surprise Williams is a wanted man. The Australian-born coach has been brilliant for Leinster, and has succeeded in a way that few, if any, Leinster coaches before him have done in getting the best out of what has traditionally been a talented if under-achieving squad.
It's not just that they have won a record 15 matches in a row, that they won their first trophy (a memorable Celtic League triumph) in ages and reached the quarter-finals of the European Cup for the first time in six years, but that the likes of Reggie Corrigan, Shane Byrne, Malcolm O'Kelly, Victor Costello, Eric Miller all played their best rugby in years.
Undoubtedly a big part of Leinster's recent success has been the coaching expertise of Alan Gaffney, Willie Anderson and Roly Meates, and indeed the senior players, but credit to Williams for delegating these responsibilities. That is a sign of a good coach in the modern game.
Williams' achievements were unlikely to go unnoticed, especially in England, where Leinster completed consecutive home and away doubles over Leicester, Northampton and Newcastle. Not being wise after the event, but given Leinster have been out of Europe since the end of January, you felt the IRFU might have tied up something before now with Williams, whose existing two-year deal ends this summer.
Williams' star has since risen with the Ireland A team's Triple Crown success. Given a particularly high attrition rate in the English Premiership this season it's hardly surprising Irish-based coaches are attracting the sort of covetous glances which forced the union to tie players down to longer-term deals until the next World Cup.
Saracens have made a very firm offer to Williams, whose discussions with the IRFU are expected to be renewed shortly, and I also believe that overtures have been made from one French club, a Welsh club and other English clubs.
As things stand it would be safe to presume that an annual salary to coach an English Premiership club such as Saracens (say £125,000-£150,000) would be three or four times greater than the annual salary at Leinster, Munster or Connacht (say €60,000-€70,000). Ulster operate a different financial structure and seem to have more autonomy when it comes to decisions like choosing Alan Solomons ahead of Willie Anderson. And no one will have me believe Solomons is not being paid more than Williams or, say, Steph Nel at Connacht, in the same way that Ulster appear to have a good deal more autonomy in their somewhat profligate recruitment policy for overseas players.
It should also be pointed out that the IRFU's record in developing indigenous coaches is not the best. It was Mike Ruddock, not the IRFU, who first brought in Williams, Galwegians who brought in Warren Gatland, not the Connacht branch, whereas Declan Kidney and Harry Williams were offered the Munster and Ulster jobs respectively only after foreign coaches turned them down.
Basically home-based provincial coaches are underpaid. It would probably be customary to have a good chunk of the provincial squads on higher salaries than the provincial coaches, so if the IRFU are to hold on to the likes of Williams and prevent a damaging drain to England, they are either going to have to increase their evaluation of him or allow the Leinster branch more autonomy.
SIGNIFICANTLY, when some Irish investors approached Brendan Mullin at Powerscourt Partners recently with a view to making a sporting investment, the former Ireland and Lions centre directed them toward London Irish, where they ploughed in over £1 million. For this they received shares in the company and a non-executive seat on the board - a potential return for their investment and a say in how the club is run.
Though there would be plenty of goodwill toward the burgeoning Friday night experience at Donnybrook among Dublin's financial community, no such incentive exists for investors to put some badly-needed capital in Leinster. The union are far too hands-on to allow that to happen.
The IRFU, of course, won't like being told any of this. The IRFU big-wigs don't much care for outside advice or the notion that they are being held to ransom - witness the removal of Gatland as Ireland coach. It is probably with that in mind that Williams unusually has been uncontactable these past few days, as has his agent John Baker.
I would be very surprised if at heart Williams doesn't want to stay. His grandparents come from Ireland, he carries an Irish passport, his wife Kris and three children are all happy here, and he enjoys working with the Leinster management and players as much as they enjoy working with him. Watford may not be Greystones, where he lives, but then again who'd blame him if he took a huge hike in wages to help provide better financial security for his family?
I can't help but wonder if the IRFU power-brokers truly appreciate Williams' worth and the set-up he spearheads, because you can be sure he would be allowed to bring Gaffney over to Saracens with him and would assuredly do so. Unlike the IRFU, English clubs do not impose assistants on their coaches. And with Gatland already in situ at Wasps, and Williams then in Vicarage Road, inevitably Irish players would follow suit, if not before the World Cup then after.
The Leinster players would regard the departure of Williams and Gaffney as cataclysmic. It is no secret that one of the major attractions for Brian O'Driscoll in his decision to stay in Ireland was the presence of Williams at Leinster. Two years into an unfinished job, the prospects of a new coach starting a new era again could undo much of the good work which already has been done.
I hope I'm wrong, but I've a feeling this litmus test will be failed which, if so, would not reflect well on Irish rugby.
gthornley@irish-times.ie
