Ireland may have secured a win in the second round of the Six Nations, but their performance was far from convincing as they held on against Italy in the final minutes of the game.
Andy Farrell’s side won out 20-13, but questions raised following their dismantling by France in the opening fixture of this year’s competition remain.
These concerns have long been the subject of conversation, particularly following a disappointing Autumn Nations Series when they lost to both New Zealand and South Africa, among former Irish rugby stars and journalists - with two key issues being the age profile of the squad and the IRFU pathway for younger players at club level.
Following France’s emphatic 36-14 victory over the Irish, an interesting debate was had about the significant change within Leinster’s coaching staff having a detrimental impact upon Farrell’s side, as the province has long been key to Ireland’s success.
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Broadcaster Joe Molloy raised the question to his Virgin Media panel of former Leinster and Ireland stars in Rob Kearney, Ian Madigan and Shane Horgan.
The trio opined the nation’s defence and attack have suffered since Jacques Nienaber’s appointment, without laying the blame solely at the door of the two-time World Cup-winning coach.
While none of them offered a solution to the issues they raised regarding the regression of the players’ ball handling and general rugby skills, one man has since offered an answer for Ireland.
‘Bring in Joe Schmidt’ to Leinster
Sports journalist Rúaidhrí O'Connor was a guest on the Indo Sport podcast as the discourse in Irish rugby continues around the problems with the current Ireland setup.
He suggested bringing former Ireland and Leinster coach Joe Schmidt back to the four-time Champions Cup winners in place of Nienaber would return both sides to the high standards many fans got used to witnessing over the past 13 years.
O’Connor said: “I have an idea.
“Thank Jacques [Nienaber], send him home, play him off, and bring in Joe Schmidt to coach Leinster again. He's in Ireland at the moment; half his family live here.
“He loves it here. All of the flaws in Ireland's game right now are all of the things that Joe is so good at driving. And if you have a coach of his calibre… but if you say to Joe, 'You're coming off your Aussie contract.' You can still go back as a consultant for them at the World Cup if you want, but we would love you to come back.
“Whatever you have to offer him to bring him back to coach Leinster and get those basics back up to a high level.
“You get Joe in charge of the best young players in Ireland again, running Leinster.”
Leinster’s importance to Ireland
Leinster have long been a key supplier of players for Ireland throughout the professional era of rugby in the country.
This has never been more pronounced than under the Andy Farrell era, with the team as Munster, Ulster and Connacht have struggled to compete at the top table of European rugby while Leinster have been among the best.
As a result of performances at club and international level, 10 of the IRFU’s central contracts have been awarded to Leinster players, while the other three provinces have a combined total of three.
Farrell seemed to be aligned with the tactical approach adopted by Leinster, noticing the success they were experiencing in their methods, and so he evolved his ideals to get the best from this while using the best talents from the other provinces, and this seemed to work seamlessly for much of his reign.
However, as the Leinster and Ireland approaches have deviated since the appointment of Nienaber, there are serious questions about the impact this has had on both teams as they have struggled over the past two seasons.
Topics: Rugby Union
Brendan McGilligan