RUGBY / Six Nations Championship: Gavin Cummiskey hears former England stalwart Dean Richards backing coach Andy Robinson and predicting victory against the odds
As the English continue to suffer their World Cup hangover, with players either crocked or packing it in, they could really do with a Dean Richards figure this Sunday. Someone to keep the whole show ticking over. Someone with a hex over Ireland.
In a 48-Test career, not once did Richards trudge off the field on the losing side against Ireland. Lansdowne Road held no fear for this man. In fact, he thrived on the tribalism and vitriolic nature of the crowd.
"I used to love coming to Dublin to play," he says. "What was really remarkable was the kind and good nature of the people, especially the hospitality. That is, until you took the field on match day and the crowd were baying for blood."
On the pitch, Richards was always more of a homing pigeon than an Energiser Bunny. A colossus in the last days of the amateur era, he dominated games. The abiding memory is of of the ball safely nestled up his jumper as the English eight drove to the line, or of his head popping out of another Leicester rolling maul. Neil Back and Martin Johnson certainly learned from the master.
Hypothetical comparisons through the generations are irrelevant to England coach Andy Robinson but what about Richards in the present-day backrow? For sure, they would be better off with him on board.
Robinson has been getting a right roasting in recent weeks after he handed Newcastle teenager Mathew Tait a debut for England's opening Six Nations match against Wales at the Millennium Stadium, before promptly discarding the youngster in the wake of defeat.
Considering the plight of the squad with injuries, especially in the backline, Richards argues it was a gamble worth taking.
"With the amount of injuries England had, especially at centre, Andy had nothing to lose for this Six Nations. Because of the problems, it was always unlikely that they would win the championship, so it was worth gambling on players like Tait."
Although also devastated by injury up front - Lewis Moody joined the list yesterday with an infected finger - Richards also believes this is by no means a lost cause.
"Without (Phil) Vickery or (Julian) White a huge weapon has been lost in the scrums. England might falter here but with a young guy (Matt Stevens) you can get one good game out of him by feeding off the adrenaline. Stevens has been playing Zurich Premiership so he should be able to stand up for 60 minutes. Then someone else will have to come on.
"The Irish look strong in the lineout but Martin Corry is the type of quality backrower who not just brings strength and a hard-nosed edge but will be a lineout alternative to Ben Kay.
"At halfback, (Peter) Stringer and (Ronan) O'Gara are on fire. With Charlie Hodgson under so much pressure, a specialised kicker is needed as well. I would have picked Jason Robinson on the wing, in a more roving role, as at full back he doesn't get his hands on the ball enough.
"Still, I can still see England sneaking a victory but they will have to play out of their skin and Ireland will need to have an off-day."
An error was clearly made ahead of the 1993 visit to Lansdowne Road when Richards was dropped. Ireland punished the English forwards for arriving without their talisman in a ferocious display.
Richards takes some of the credit away from the Irish performance, though, by explaining the English capitulation from a slightly different angle.
"In '93 it was Wade Dooley's last game for England so the boys went out for a drink the night before and then lost. We used to always stay in the Castle and there was a pub around the corner, I think it was called the Rose and Crown, and we used to go for one or two pints of Guinness the night before matches. That night, as it was Wade's last, they may have stayed for around seven or eight pints. I wasn't there of course because I was dropped."
He won't be around the watering holes of Dublin town this weekend either as a French relegation battle has his undivided attention, his job as Grenoble head coach being on the line. They are currently third from bottom with a daunting trip to Toulouse tonight. At least one pack of underdogs will have the great Deano by their side.
