NO-ONE TOLD JAMIE HEASLIP the captaincy game was going to be easy but, after an electrifying Six Nations start, he must be smarting from the reality bite.
Ireland’s dual defeats to England and Scotland have scuttled his team’s championship hopes and led to questions over the timing of his appointment.
With Brian O’Driscoll visibly calling the on-field shots in the closing stages, some critics are suggesting that Heaslip’s indecision is permeating into a team that he claimed were ‘in a good place but a mixed place’.
Speaking to TheScore.ie at Carton House today, Kidney jumped to the defence of Heaslip, six games into his team leader role, and insisted that he had no regrets about replacing O’Driscoll.
The Irish coach said, “I think Jamie is doing an excellent job for us. He’s making the decisions out on the pitch. He’s making good decisions and I’m very happy with him.
“I’m also delighted with Brian. He’s playing really well and that was part and parcel of the decision [to hand over the captaincy] too.”
Kidney added that he “absolutely” and 100% stood by his decision to name Heaslip as Ireland captain.
Declan Kidney, TheScore.ie mic and Mick Kearney taking questions today. (©INPHO/James Crombie)
One true voice
Second row Donnacha Ryan also spoke up for his captain and emphasised that the team, despite two losses from three matches, wremained a tight unit.
He told TheScore.ie, “Jamie has got loads of support in there. We all support each other.
The individual feeds the collective in rugby and that’s the way things work. We all help each other. Jamie’s doing a great job but it’s a collective thing out on the field.
Ryan, who is hoping to overcome a shoulder injury to feature against France, admitted that one, commanding voice might prove the clearest way forward rather than ruling by delegation.
He commented, “I suppose you’d have a discussion with the goal-kicker to see how he’s feeling… I don’t think there was any more ambiguity [against Scotland] than there would be any other week.
“We were quite certain of what we were doing but we got into a dogfight in the last 20 minutes.
“It was disappointing that Scotland were living off scraps and yet we came out the wrong side of the result.”
Ulster’s Rory Best, who was in the running for Irish captaincy, spoke with clarity on the fact that the loss to Scotland had ended all title ambitions.
He said, “I keep going back to the chances. At this level you have to keep stepping up and taking chances. If you don’t do that, you get punished.”
