Much debate abounds regarding our provinces, especially with two French sides in tomorrow's European Rugby Champions Cup final. Watching the Aviva final in 2013 I felt that Clermont Auvergne should have been banned for 10 years having brought us such beautiful flowing rugby through Sitiveni Sivivatu et al but contriving to lose at every turn. That Delon Armitage try left me deflated. Can beautiful rugby win games? Can Clermont's attacking culture beat Toulon's strategy? We'll see tomorrow; Clermont Abú.
With the 20th European final comes the questions: who were the best players; which the best team? Much fun can be had with those questions but my focus is on which players are playing the best rugby in Ireland today.
Denis Buckley is hardly a household name and many reading this may not be aware of his existence but, like Mike McCarthy many moons ago, I have been extremely impressed by the Connacht loosehead. The core of his work is done in those dozen or so scrums per match. Each scrum hurdle has been faced with calm and precise power; he gets the job done and he held his own against two World Cup winners within seven days of each other – All Black John Afoa in Gloucester and Munster's Springbok BJ Botha in the Sportsground.
Beyond that, his work rate is off the charts, dwarfing his Connacht international tighthead Rodney Ah You. Much of what he does is not ‘loggable’ (support lines run, decoy lines etc) but watch him as he clears out multiple rucks in a row, hunts back into position as receiver or support runner. In essence, wherever the ball is, that’s where you’ll find Buckley energetically adding value.
His challenge is simple – Cian Healy, Jack McGrath, James Cronin and Dave Kilcoyne make him fifth in line for the throne. That said, keep an eye out for him.
His team-mate Matt Healy is another who has had a great month; especially his right arm fending off of all comers on his way to the try line against Ulster. Again, Joe Schmidt has multiple wing options before Healy gets there but his electric pace and ambition around the ball, allied to a strong core, are impressive. Staying in Connacht, scrumhalf Kieran Marmion had a marvellous game against Ulster where, playing into a terrible gale, he controlled the pace and ball beautifully. Likewise, his hooker Tom McCartney displayed exceptional lineout accuracy.
Sets him apart
Iain Henderson is hardly in the Buckley camp with 17 caps, but is still only 23. He has displayed phenomenal ability in many aspects of his game that sets him apart. Modern rugby often shuns talent and errs on the side of the athlete. When I saw him live for the first time I immediately thought of New Zealand legend Ian Jones. Both similar in natural build, same height, but Henderson, thanks to the professional system was, even then, lightish in frame but much bulkier than Jones.
So what position is best suited for Henderson; bench is an obvious one as an impact player but he is fast approaching first choice backrow for Ireland. Why? He makes things happen. There’s no doubting Peter O’Mahony’s value to Ireland but he’s in for a real battle should Schmidt see Henderson as a blindside wing forward.
He has the feet (always going forward in heavy traffic), the hands, the power and the rugby nous. But, he has a gift of being in the right place at the right time to maximise the impact of all these skills. For instance, when following him live, he often looklike he’s slumbering, drifting off the pace– but then at the perfect moment he’s right in the middle of the action, as he was for his try against Leinster with a monster hit on Mike Ross; this is no coincidence; knowing where to be is a real talent.
French distraction
Finally, a thought crossed my mind regarding Paul O'Connell, the French distraction and his 10-per-cent decision. There are two obvious questions: does he want to play on after the World Cup and, if so, for whom? If he feels another Six Nations is in him, then I'm sure the answer is obvious – stay within Irish rugby to ensure the best preparation for the Six Nations 2016.
If he feels that’s a step too far but wishes to continue playing, then that changes everything. The recent Michael Noonan amendment to the 40pc tax deduction scheme means sports people may claim the relief if they are resident in an EEA or EFTA country at the time of retirement, allowing players who finished their career in another country to still benefit from tax relief.
However, the real question is what does O’Connell want to do post-rugby? As an extremely talented man, he could turn his hand to business or education or stay in the game. If there’s ambition to stay within the game as an elite coach, then this should impact his final playing days. Does he wish to transition directly into Munster’s management as Leo Cullen has done with Leinster? Is there space in Munster for his undoubted coaching talent?
Fancy this for an idea. Should O’Connell not want to play on for Ireland into 2016 but wishes to coach at elite level, then going to the south of France makes sense – a massive pay deal without impacting his tax back, south of France and an avenue into elite coaching away from the maddening Munster crowd. So O’Connell’s 10 per cent decision, I fancy, is resting on his career post-rugby, which makes France a glorious option. liamtoland@yahoo.com
