Williams heaps praise on Kidney

RUGBY IRELAND TOUR:JIM WILLIAMS cut his teeth with Munster as a coach and the effects still clearly linger. Yesterday he paid tribute to both Declan Kidney and the Munster zeitgeist, even if the passage of time has only helped him to realise the full extent of his former mentor's abilities as a head coach.

“Surprisingly enough now I’m not with him, you certainly understand how he went about things as a head coach,” said Williams in thoughtful and reflective mode. “You learn to appreciate the decisions he makes and what he does and why he does things.”

Also only now through working with Robbie Deans is the Wallabies’ forwards coach beginning to appreciate how much head coaches have to see the bigger picture, “and Declan’s very good at seeing the bigger picture. I’m a technician and that sometimes narrows your focus a fair bit. But with Declan, it’s the bigger picture and moving forward and the team dynamic – being able to get the players up, get them in the right frame of mind.”

“They know what to do. You look through the team. They’re all class players. Their skills are good. They know how to handle situations on the pitch. It’s just creating the right environment and then bringing them together to make sure they’re all on the same page.

“Once I left Munster and looked back, you understand how Declan did things the way he did.”

Ensuring Ireland will be up for it come kick-off (8pm local, 11am Irish) at the Suncorp Stadium is what, he believes, Kidney specialises in. “It’s in an understated way. The passion’s there, it’s the way you get the message across. And they’re so good at timing when they need to be up, in the dressing-shed – that’s when the passion rises, that’s when the intensity rises. And Declan’s very good at doing that, and getting it moving throughout a Test week, so they get to the point that they’re where they need to be when the ball’s kicked.”

That said, all the indications are that Australia will be an improved side after their defeat to England. Williams maintained the highly-critical self-analysis of the Wallabies’ defeat to England, refusing to criticise Romain Poite’s looser interpretation of the breakdown and the offside line. The Wallabies needed to readjust their game better, by delivering quicker ball off line-outs, and shifting ball earlier and quicker.

“That was no one else’s fault except our own,” he said, also admitting the better side won.

“If you look at the intensity England brought to the game and where we were, we were miles apart. That’s an issue for us as a group, one that we need to deal with.”

The last-minute set-piece try by Brian O’Driscoll which denied Australia a win in Croke Park last November in that 20-20 draw was, according to Williams, an example of Ireland’s ability to come up with crucial plays at key moments, as they did during the Six Nations. “And that’s what making great sides and winning competitions is all about: critical moments, taking those opportunities, or consolidating situations to win the game.”

Going back further to Australia’s 2008 win in Melbourne, the first of the Deans dynasty and hence Williams’ first game as part of the Wallabies coaching ticket, he recalled the way the Irish backs “really stretched us all over the park. Played a beautiful tight game, shifted it when they had it – the likes of Rob Kearney, Trimble, Tommy Bowe – they really started to open us up, inside channels and out. I don’t expect things to change. I expect them to play field position but when they have the opportunity to play, they’ll certainly take it.”

Having built up Ireland, Williams also heightened expectations for Saturday’s game, likening the “sensational” atmosphere at Suncorp to the Millennium Stadium, when discussing the backline collisions.

“It’s great to see the players of that quality come up against each other. That’s what Test rugby is all about – Giteau and Wallace, O’Driscoll and Rob Horne – the veteran and the young guy coming through. Great to get that opportunity to play against a world-class player. Jonathan Sexton and Quade Cooper – two young guns coming through – from that side of things, great to see.”

One of the few apparent flip sides of Ireland’s extraordinary injury toll is it limits Williams’ insider knowledge from his time with Munster, especially the backrow. “Yeah it’s been a struggle, having to go back to club,” he said laughing, in reference to digging up Magners League videos.

“We got a little bit of Chris Henry. Niall Ronan I know from Munster. And Shane Jennings I know. I’ve seen a little bit of Rhys Ruddock on under-20s. They all look impressive. It’s good to see where Irish rugby is at the moment. It’s pleasing.

“Declan’s obviously working hard on trying to bring players through.”

That said, he has worked with four of the pack, Tony Buckley, Donncha O’Callaghan, Mick O’Driscoll and Niall Ronan, whom he says he always rated highly.

“He’s improved every year he’s been there. His all-round game has got better. He was a good ball player, could run very well. We needed to work on his breakdown work but I’ve seen that progress very well. He’s started to get into that modern-day seven role – carry ball, even be a lineout option, and of course, attacking the ruck and pilfering ball, so I’ve seen a good improvement on that side of things.”