Ireland still calls as Horgan moves on to the next phase

AN ENTERTAINING preamble eventually led to a conversation about rugby tactics. Hardly the usual chit-chat with a professional sportsman: the evolving media landscape from a thirtysomething perspective; Kim Dotcom freaking out the neighbours; Steve McQueen's shock-therapy masterpiece Shameand Michael Fassbender's, eh, girth.

Shane Horgan utterly fails to fit into the stereotypical jock mould. No generic, clichéd responses are evident in our one-hour sitting either.

RTÉ recognised as much, recruiting him for the highlights show during the last World Cup, and his analytical approach sees him recalled for the Six Nations panel. A welcome diversion from the outlandish caricatures evident in Irish sporting punditry.

“I think they were looking for a player who was reasonably current but who wasn’t involved. Due to my injury, I fitted the profile for them.”

This is the only reference to a knee problem that has kept Horgan sidelined since last May’s Celtic League final against Munster.

Now 33, he envisages the law playing a significant role in his long-term future. Having attained a Masters from Trinity College, he is already embroiled in the profession via opportunities created by his thesis on dispute resolution.

Horgan got serious about creating a pathway into another career after the 2007 World Cup experience. It even assisted recovery from that disastrous episode.

“I found it very difficult to get my head around it because there was so much invested in it personally and collectively as a group. For anyone who wasn’t involved, it looks like there wasn’t any time or energy invested at all.

“There were no rewards for us besides ridicule, which was correct. Hard to imagine a worse World Cup run.

“From a player’s point of view, there was an obsession with it, there was an over-thinking about it and I think there was a mental fatigue based on our own expectations of ourselves.

“A couple of years before and up to ’07 the focus on rugby was probably too intense and maybe had an effect on performance. I can’t speak for the other lads, only myself. Doing something outside of rugby and not having rugby be every element of your life was really important. I look at my year in Trinity, I enjoyed it so much. The people in there were fantastic. It opens up other avenues.”

Horgan doesn’t envisage a repeat of the hangover that haunted Ireland’s 2008 Six Nations campaign this time around.

“Nothing will be as bad as ’07. Honestly, I think there were people properly scarred by that.

“That Six Nations was weird because the knives were out for Eddie (O’Sullivan). That won’t be an issue for this group of players.”

Sunday’s opening match against Wales is a watershed moment comparable to February 19th, 2000. With Brian O’Driscoll blooded the previous summer, that was the date Warren Gatland awarded first caps to Horgan, Ronan O’Gara, Peter Stringer, John Hayes and Simon Easterby for the 44-22 defeat of Scotland. David Wallace and Geordan Murphy joined the gang later that summer in America.

Only O’Gara remains.

“The change isn’t quite as profound on the field but there are big turnovers in Alan Gaffney going. There is a big new job for Les Kiss. I would be very interested in that, to see how the Irish backs play, number one without Brian and the creativity that he brings, and under the tutelage of Les Kiss (he also mentions Mervyn Murphy and Mark Taiton) because for so long they have been so impressive. I am looking forward to seeing how they develop.

“Ireland have been so good off first phase since the Eddie O’Sullivan era. That was really his thing.”

A lot of tries came from clean lineout possession?

“A lot of tries. More probably than any other team in world rugby. It was a strength and a weakness but there was a lot of focus on it and Ireland were very good at it.”

Strength or weakness? First-phase tries may be Ireland’s calling card but it is put to Horgan the team have lacked a clear multi-phase attacking philosophy – unlike Leinster, Wales, France or the Southern Hemisphere superpowers.

“I have no doubt there is a philosophy. There was certainly any time I was there, including the time I was there with Deccie, which was limited enough. He certainly has a structured plan of how he wants his teams to play. It is not always possible to implement that. Your opposition may limit your effectiveness to implementing a game plan. And secondly, your own players.

“I think it is too simplistic to say there is no game plan here but if you look at Ireland when they are playing at their best, and not just off first phase, when they got good go-forward ball, there is momentum, players coming around the corner, hitting it at pace.

“I think there was a very good game plan implemented against Australia, dictated by the weather, yes. We saw it against England in last year’s Six Nations.

“You can see it when things are going well. Hit here, hit there and then the ball is going to the backs. Then we are going short side. You can see that. But somewhere along the line someone knocks the ball on or there is a defensive tackle the game plan doesn’t look as structured.

“That also applies to the teams you have mentioned there. Certainly for France and Wales. When they are playing well, their game plan looks brilliant and it is very much a French or Welsh game plan, but when they aren’t going well . . . as was the case for France at the World Cup or Wales at previous Six Nations . . .”

Is it incumbent on the Ireland coaches to implement a greater range of multi-phased, attacking initiatives for when play stagnates?

“Look at the way Wales defended against us in the World Cup. They had nobody in the ruck, nobody. If a team is defending like that you have to identify it and go through the middle of the ruck. It is not particularly pretty, especially if you are a back or a wing. You want the ball flashed out. But sometimes that’s what you have to do. Also, if a team is playing with their two wings up you have to kick in behind. Sometimes you are dictated to by the circumstances you find yourself in.

“I noticed one of the tries we scored against the United States was a perfect example of doing what you mentioned we were having trouble doing. If you remember, we were on the left-hand side of the pitch inside their 22.

“There were a couple of rucks and the ball was set up for what looked to all intents and purposes to be a pod that would just hit up but instead, I think it was Stephen Ferris, stuck the ball behind Bestie and back to Jonny who passed inside for Tommy, who scored a try (just before half-time).

“Now, that’s a perfect example of something that has been worked on in training to turn slow ball . . . to move away from just banging the ball up, using a little more subtlety.

“When I saw Ireland do that in that game I thought it really boded well for what was to come. It is more difficult to do that against the top teams but I think it is something we ought to pursue. Ultimately, that bravery will be rewarded because I have no doubt we have the players to do it.”

The ever-growing rugby public agrees.

“In Ireland now people are ravenous for success. I find it amusing that the Triple Crown has been devalued in the minds of some people. I just don’t see that.

“It is such a weird competition. The formguide is so unpredictable. You can see the mistakes guys make are mistakes they would never usually make. That’s probably the difference between good and great players. A lot of international rugby players can do brilliant things but the really great ones just don’t make any mistakes.”

You immediately think: O’Driscoll. Then you realise he and so many of his peers are perhaps gone.

A new beginning then.

“I think the World Cup was really good for many of the lads. You make strong bonds from gaining some success in a foreign country. Hopefully some of the good things from the World Cup will manifest themselves in the Six Nations. I know there is also a bit of hurt there as well but not the level of hurt that will damage performances.”