Knox lashes out at wrong man Kidney
Declan Kidney's appointment as Irish coach has come under criticism by David Knox. Credit: David Rogers, Getty Images
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Tuesday May 13 2008
IRELAND'S failure to evolve during the Eddie O'Sullivan era has been compounded by the IRFU choosing the wrong man to replace him it was claimed last night.
David Knox, the Australian who has been backs coach to Leinster for the last three seasons, yesterday revealed a litany of failings and mistakes that have bedevilled Irish rugby in recent years.
"It's a big mistake to choose Declan Kidney as the new coach," he said. "The Irish international team badly needed a foreign coach. After the Eddie O'Sullivan era, they wanted someone to test these guys, show them a new way to play.
"The Munster people think he [Kidney] is a messiah but I just don't understand that."
In a revealing, wide-ranging interview, Knox is fiercely critical of the rugby played by Munster. He acknowledges their successes in the Heineken Cup but maintains they have achieved glory at the expense of any style or flair.
"And when those players come to play at the very highest level, such as a World Cup, they come up short," he insists.
Rubbish
Who is he thinking of? None more so than Ronan O'Gara.
"I have been here for three years and I have never seen him create space for anybody. Yet over here he ranks with Dan Carter as the best fly-half in the world. I have never heard such rubbish."
What Knox calls Munster's limited, blinkered rugby is part of the reason for Ireland's players' inability to succeed on the world stage, he claims.
"Munster's record is fantastic but you can't tell me they play anything but 10-man rugby. Unfortunately, players can't just switch on style play when they get into the international arena.
"Munster get 30 points on the board by grinding away and when the other team is shot, they try and throw the ball around a bit. Then people say, what a great team. It's rubbish.
"If Doug Howlett had played for Leinster this season, he would have ended up scoring 30 tries. He's scored about three or four for Munster. He's seen as the greatest buy of the year but how often has he touched the ball? They have no idea how to use him."
Knox also admits he has been bewildered by what he called "the paranoid world" of Irish rugby during his stay in Dublin. He revealed that Eddie O'Sullivan never once contacted him to discuss any of the Irish international players with whom he was working, day in day out.
- Peter Bills
