Players must persevere and reinvent themselves

Experience is such a primary ingredient in coping with the demands of international rugby

DAN PARKS’ performance for Scotland in their Six Nations Championship win over Ireland at Croke Park got me thinking about the importance of perseverance, attitude, the capacity to reinvent yourself and a modicum of luck in any player’s career.

I was chatting with our Australian-born outhalf, Chris Malone, and he explained how Parks was behind him in the pecking order when they were chasing careers in the Super 12, as it was at the time. Scotland’s pivotal performer at Croke Park failed to get a contract and that prompted him to leave Australia to seek a change of fortune overseas.

His career has been pockmarked by highs and lows. He was initially discarded by the then new Scotland coach, Andy Robinson, who preferred Phil Godman as his Test pivot. It was only by virtue of Godman losing form that Parks was reinstated, a prescient decision when evaluated against this season’s Six Nations.

Consider Tommy Bowe and how he has transformed his international career from a stuttering start to a genuinely world-class player. David Wallace took a while to cement his place in the Ireland team, Victor Costello benefited from Eddie O’Sullivan’s view that he had a role to play in international rugby as an impact player, while Trevor Brennan improved appreciably in footballing terms when he moved to Toulouse, going on to win two Heineken Cup, among other, trophies.

Experience is such a primary ingredient in coping with the demands of international rugby and the more matches a player is exposed to the easier it is for him to develop in that environment: few players go from fledgling Test player to world-class in half-a-dozen experiences.

That’s why I have huge admiration for French coach Marc Lievremont and what he has achieved in winning the Grand Slam. As a coach he is now in the strongest position in Northern Hemisphere rugby in terms of the evolution of a squad that, quite apart from massive talent, boasts great depth. He defined his objectives from the beginning, ignored all the criticism, taking what he believed to be calculated risks in finding players capable of playing at Test level. He encouraged them and gave them the opportunity to play.

It could be argued that the antithesis can be seen in England coach Martin Johnson’s approach for the final match in the Six Nations, where he opted to introduce a couple of younger players – previously he’d clung to a more sterile selection – and it coincided with his side’s best performance of the tournament.

On a tangential note, we have reached the point of the season that can be a pretty depressing time for players who might be third or fourth choice at a club but with over a year left on a contract. Motivation has to be massively difficult when a player is aware that, barring injury, he’s going to be a peripheral figure for the foreseeable future.

A rugby contract is weighted in a player’s favour in that you can not be sacked for loss of form, underperforming that might make you vulnerable in another profession. Short of a serious indiscretion – we’re talking hell-raising of Georgie Best proportions – the terms of a contract will be honoured.

The flip side, though, is that a player can not break a contract. If things aren’t going well you cannot just hand in two months’ notice and elect to leave.

That is what makes it such a huge challenge when a player slips down the pecking order. His self-esteem takes a bashing, and it’s so hard to stay motivated in those circumstances.

One alternative to that plight is to send a player out on loan to another club. You are not going to improve by playing half-a-dozen first-team matches a season; a player must be challenged on a regular basis.

It’s almost unheard of for someone to be bought out of a contract. I know London Wasps paid London Irish around €100,000 to secure an early release for England wing Paul Sackey. It is an exception, because clubs simply do not have the financial clout to pay a transfer fee and then a sizeable salary.

So a player going into contract negotiations must not only pursue a good salary but understand how he is viewed at a club and the role he’s likely to fill, all things being equal.

On a lighter note, I found myself at the winning Terenure Junior Cup team’s post-final party. Shauna’s best friend is going out with Brian Blaney, who, along with his brother Dermot, coached the team. I knew there was something different to my experiences with Blackrock when I saw a squad car and three gardaí asking the lads to wrap it up at that point.

It was back to the Guinness Premiership yesterday and a heartening win over the Sale Sharks in what was my 200th game for the club. The win made the milestone all the more enjoyable. The match doubled as the St Patrick’s Day celebrations for the club and a big crowd was on hand to witness not only the rugby but entertainment off the pitch, including Stavros Flatley and Barry McGuigan singing Dublin in the Rare Old Times. A good day all round.