rocky wrote:Cave is still getting over some symptoms of concussion AFAIK.
I agree with others in wondering whatever has happened to Ludik.
I am reading a lot of speculative stuff on here but there do seem to be some things that are now pretty clear:
The Doak/Clarke combo has poisoned the atmosphere for a long time.
Kiss took too much on himself and, in so doing, also caused a problem in the camp, with a number (?many) players becoming unhappy.
UR (?Bryn) has moved to change this by getting rid of Doak and Clarke and bringing in a highly thought of head coach - Gibbes - and a well known (as a player) but inexperienced backs coach - Peel.
In addition, there has been a clearout of fringe players as well as Franco and, sadly, Ruan leaving and Roger retiring.
Incoming are Van der Merwe, Deysel, Cooney.
It is rumoured that Kiss must oversee a big improvement in our play or he may well be gone before Christmas.
Have I missed anything?
Kicked out at Christmas on the 6 month release clause Pat Lam was bemoaning last week. That's about as good as we can get
Irish rugby will continue to lose coaches to more lucrative clubs overseas, says former Connacht coach Pat Lam, unless it changes its stance on contracts.
Lam, who wraps up his four year stint in Connacht this weekend at the wedding of captain John Muldoon before heading to Bristol, says his one regret leaving Ireland next week is the IRFU’s stubborness over the six-months release clause.
“If they had listened to me, I wouldn’t be going anywhere because I wouldn’t break a contract,” he says. “The problem is all the other clubs know the Irish coaches have this in their contract, so guess what happens? November/December each year people start making contact knowing there is a clause that you can get out of the contract.”
Lam says it is the same for Munster’s Erasmus, Leinster’s Leo Cullen and Stuart Lancaster, and Ulster’s Les Kiss.
“Everyone worldwide knows they have this in their contracts, but it is one area that needs to change, otherwise Ireland will continue to lose coaches,” he says.
Lam says the clause was always a sticking point which nearly prevented him coming to Ireland in the first place.
“It was one reason I held off signing. I wasn’t comfortable with it right from the beginning. They gave me two years plus one; I wanted three, but they wanted the option to test if Pat was any good, and that’s fair enough, but the fundamental problem was the six months.
“I rang Joe Schmidt [then with Leinster] and he said it works in our favour because we have to be extremely bad, and if we back ourselves, it’s extremely unlikely they’ll let us go, but if it doesn’t work out for us, then we could always leave.
“I thought ‘Jesus’, how bizzare, so I did the two years, and they offered me a two plus one year again, and I was annoyed by that. I almost didn’t sign it. Why a two plus one again when they know me? But they made it a three year deal, and then I saw the clause, so it ended up being a two year deal, but they wouldn’t take the clause out.
“Again I am not pointing the finger at any one, but the IRFU needs to understand the reason I felt so strongly about it is because they used to have it in New Zealand, and with Dave Rennie and Todd Blackadder, we all fought to have it removed because you either back us or you don’t.
“Instead of a selection panel doing all the homework and making sure they have the right person, it gives them a little out to say “we’ll give this person a go and see, but we have an out to get rid of him. I just think do your homework, and if the you have the right person, back it. I can understand the first term, but the second – they should take it out.”
Lam says the clause affected the Connacht squad just six months after claiming their first PRO 12 trophy.
“It’s not ideal, without a doubt it had an effect. I could see it [with players]and I could see it with staff too. It made me more determined to tick every box.
“There is no doubt players start thinking it’s okay, it’s just human nature, particularly when you have 40/50 players, including the academy. You have 15 who love you, another eight/10 who are ‘oh, I’m not selected’ and the others who are not playing, and it can become very difficult.
“Who it affected most I think was some of the staff. They realised Pat is not going to be here, and there are people who do their jobs and people who keep their jobs – that is the danger.”
However it will not stop Lam returning to Connacht on August 26th when he brings his new-look Bristol to the Sportsground for a pre-season fixture.
“Do I want to play Connacht? No, I don’t, but I know it is so difficult to convince teams to come to Galway because they can’t just fly in, so this is a bit of a gift and it’s something I want to do.”
ColinM wrote:Kiss to 2020 is a new one on me, could have swore he only had one more year
I thought that as well ColinM but when I checked it out it seemed to be a 5 year deal he was on, the start bit was the only thing in doubt, but it seemed a 2019/2020 season contract, other reports give it just as an open ended appointment with no timescale involved.
“That made me feel very special and underlined to me that Ulster is more than a team, it is a community and a rugby family" Rory Best
ColinM wrote:Kiss to 2020 is a new one on me, could have swore he only had one more year
I thought that as well ColinM but when I checked it out it seemed to be a 5 year deal he was on, the start bit was the only thing in doubt, but it seemed a 2019/2020 season contract, other reports give it just as an open ended appointment with no timescale involved.
Well he's specifically mentioned in the Lam piece, hope there's a 6 month break every year for the FIRFU
Taken from the BelTel.....I assume a scrum coach is to be announced
Ulster Director of Rugby Les Kiss is hoping the pre-season changes he is implementing will bring the right formula to revive the province's fortunes.
The Kingspan Stadium outfit missed out on the PRO12 play-offs for a first time since 2012 last year, and there will be much change in BT6 this summer.
Senior figures Ruan Pienaar, Roger Wilson and Franco van der Merwe have all now worn the white jersey for a final time - while John Cooney, Jean Deysel and Schalk van der Merwe arrive next month - with there set to be even more change in the coaching box.
Both Neil Doak and Allen Clarke have left the set-up after lengthy terms of service, with Jono Gibbes, whose Clermont side are in the Top 14 final tonight, and former Lions scrum-half Dwayne Peel having been recruited by Kiss.
It is also believed a set-piece specialist will be added to the ticket next week.
"It's a new chapter on what we're going to present on our coaching front," said Kiss.
"I've had good discussions with those guys and one big day that we've had together.
"We don't want to take anything for granted. Change can have value but you have to have the right approach to it.
"It's about teamwork and working together. We want to be a good, strong coaching team that challenges the players to grow that little bit more and help them get what they want out of the game.
"There's a lot of talent and ambition here, but we have to turn those words into results.
"We know we're not far off and everyone else knows that but it's critical moments that have cost us.
"There'll be changes around the place in how we operate, that's for sure."
Kiss too is encouraged by last week's addition of Sharks back-rower Jean Deysel.
With a planned move for Bulls man Arno Botha having fallen through thanks to injury, Operations Manager Bryn Cunningham had to act swiftly to secure a suitable replacement that would bring the desired hard edge to the side's pack.
Having made his name in Durban as a player who relishes the physical side of the game, Deysel backed up that reputation during a short spell with Munster last season, and Kiss is looking forward to releasing him in tandem with his fit-again former Sharks team-mate and fellow Springbok Marcell Coetzee.
"Getting Jean Deysel too is another good way to end the season," Kiss added.
"He was someone that we'd always had some files on. We always keep an eye on what's out there, but obviously at Munster, we were able to see up close what a good fit he is.
"The fact that he'd been here sort of cleared the lines of discussion with the key people (at the IRFU) and he had a real buzz about it.
"He loved the physical side of the competitions here. Once we started to talk to him and knew it was going to be a real option it was quite exciting really. He brings a lot of experience and with Marcell coming back too, those two are hopefully going to be big with us."
One player who hopes to figure in that back-row is Mattie Rea.
The Ballymena man was upgraded directly from the sub-academy to the senior panel last summer and got his first start for the side in Thursday night's game against the Barbarians.
Up against the likes of Thierry Dusautoir, Facundo Isa and Chris Masoe, the 23-year-old coped well at the breakdown battle, and is hoping he can be a factor next season.
"It was a baptism of fire you could say," he laughed after Thursday's contest.
"For all the experience in their side, to have guys like Roger (Wilson) and Ruan (Pienaar) behind me was a big help. I was just going out there to try and do my best.
"Hopefully I can push on now and build on it next season."
With Ulster's Lions and Ireland contingents on their respective tours, the province had been light on bodies in their final weeks of training before a four-week break that began yesterday, but Rea was encouraged by the work as Kiss looks to implement a new attacking shape for next year.
"It's been good the last two weeks," said the former Irish underage international.
"We've tried to implement this new shape and have a bit of fun with it as well. I think it's been going well.
"At stages against the Barbarians it was a bit scrappy but once we got in the right shape it was coming through nicely I thought."
In memory of Nevin Spence 1990- 15th Sept. 2012
Axel..... 30 October 1973 - 16 October 2016
Pedrie Wannenburg. 2 January 1981 - 22 April 2022.
ColinM wrote:Kiss to 2020 is a new one on me, could have swore he only had one more year
I thought that as well ColinM but when I checked it out it seemed to be a 5 year deal he was on, the start bit was the only thing in doubt, but it seemed a 2019/2020 season contract, other reports give it just as an open ended appointment with no timescale involved.
Well he's specifically mentioned in the Lam piece, hope there's a 6 month break every year for the FIRFU
Think it is just the final year of the contract that the break is in, though feck knows what sort of contract kiss is on with both Logie and Nucibollocks involved
“That made me feel very special and underlined to me that Ulster is more than a team, it is a community and a rugby family" Rory Best
*** This is only as far as i can recall figures as quoted may not be 100% correct but are pretty close.
1. Whole new system of play this year - "we've thrown out the playbook" - last year they played a system he referred to as mapping i.e. players will be in pre-organised and rehearsed positions on the field for numerous phases. This year the plan is to be more fluid and play whats in front of you with the hope the ball can be played wide more effectively.
2. The decision to overhaul the coaching setup was made 5 or 6 weeks before christmas 2016. He made the initial approach to Jono over the two clermont fixtures. He offered the post after the away game jono accepted a few weeks later. the deal wasn't revealed to D4 until it was done. Dwayne Peel was part of a 10 or 12 strong long list and impressed les the most of the 3 he took to short list. No other names mentioned. Dundon was a pick made in conjunction with jono. Niall is staying and will move into doing more skills work. The basic coaching setup will look like this :
Backs : Peel
Forwards and set piece : Jono and Dundon
Defence : Les
Skills and technique : everyone to include malone. He made reference to the fact that he didn't want coaches only focusing on "their bit" but everyone being able to make an impact across the board.
3. Injuries were a problem last year - at most times 30 percent of the squad were injured this peaked at about 38 at one point and an unusually large amount of long term injuries 28 days + he said they had looked into this but nothing was really identified as to why this may be the case.
4. Rodney needs a run of games to be good apparently, treadwell arrived last year fat but has since worked it off.
5. He acknowledged we could do with a world class lock but that due to money and NIQ rules this simply wasnt possible.
6. Injuries - only real worry seemed to be olding as far as i can remember - they won't know where he is with his injury at all until end of july apprarently. everyone else should be in or around ready to go by start of season or first few games.
7. IRFU dont tell him where to play people but do manage how long people can play for.
Thats all I can remember for now if anything else comes back to me I'll post it.
scrum5 wrote:Just to brighten up your day boys and girls, Les said last night that he will be doing MORE coaching in the new season than last
He's clearly been reading here and is getting in his Trumplike excuses early. For what he said, read Dumb & Dumber were crap coaches and I'm riding to the rescue next year, clearly forgetting we know he sidelined Doakie then Clarkie sometime later.
Nothing changes the fact that he couldn't pick snot from his nose, dingleberries from the shucks of his hole nor a centre partnership.
I still await someone ITK telling me what transpired with Louis Ludik & why Franco was shitcanned around January.
FOLK
NEVER MOVE ON. Years on, I cannot ever watch Ireland with anything but indifference, I continue to wish for the imminent death of Donal Spring, the FIRFUC's executioner of Wee Paddy & Wee Stu, and I hate the FIRFUCs with undiminished passion.
