Murray Kinsella reports from Sydney
THE IRFU SAY they are working on helping Ulster to sign an Irish-qualified out-half, while the union remains hopeful that the province won’t have to wait until January to welcome new head coach Dan McFarland to Belfast.
IRFU performance director David Nucifora confirmed that the union had rejected Ulster’s attempt to sign South African international out-half Elton Jantjies ahead of next season.
Ulster have been on the lookout for a new 10 since Paddy Jackson had his contract revoked in April, along with midfield back Stuart Olding, but the IRFU are keen that it will be an Irish-qualified player.
In explaining the decision not to allow Jantjies to be signed, Nucifora indicated that Ulster and the IRFU have instead identified an Irish-qualified out-half.
“Our first option is always to find an Irish solution whatever possible because we need to make sure the system is strong with Irish options,” said Nucifora.
“The Elton Jantjies thing that was brought up, it didn’t make any sense because we want to try and find an Irish solution. Yes, we hoped that Joey [Carbery] might take up that opportunity.
“It didn’t pan out that way because that was the player [Carbery]‘s choice but was Jantjies the right option? For example, he’s going to be playing in the World Cup no doubt, he’s going to be away for large chunks of time.
“South Africa, we knew, were recalling their players. At least we’ve got a better line of communication now with the South African coach [Rassie Erasmus]. We are aware of a few things, so that didn’t really make any sense.
“Going forward for them, we still hope that there is an Irish option for them that we are working on but would we consider a foreigner to help them if we had to?
“Yeah, we would, if it made sense, absolutely. But our preference would be to find a good Irish alternative if we can do that.”
When asked if the Irish option that they are “working on” was presently at Munster, Nucifora said, “not necessarily, no” before confirming that the player in mind was not at any of the three other provinces.
Asked if the IRFU had considered making a move to bring Irish out-half Ian Madigan -who is currently contracted to Bristol – home, Nucifora said he is “too expensive.”
“We are always trying to find solutions and we’ve got to think laterally at times,” said Nucifora.
“We want our teams to be successful. We don’t go out there trying to make things hard for them. We actually go out there to try and make it easier for them and we just ask hard questions at times to try and make sure that the solutions are genuine solutions.”
Meanwhile, Nucifora indicated that he doesn’t believe the IRFU will have to pay compensation to ensure new Ulster head coach Dan McFarland is in place before January.
McFarland is the current Scotland forwards coach and the Scottish Rugby Union was disappointed to lose his services in the lead-up to next year’s World Cup, indicating that McFarland would have to stay in his contract until it expired in January.
While the SRU confirmed Danny Wilson as McFarland’s successor on Tuesday, they stressed again that McFarland is “set to join Pro14 side Ulster in January.”
“We knew that when we signed Dan we had a clause in his contract and we accepted that, and if it turns out that that’s the way that it ends up being, then that’s fine,” said Nucifora. “We’ll just deal with that.
“We do have a bit of a plan B in place if that’s the case, and we’ll just wait and see what the Scottish Rugby Union decide to do with Dan probably after their tour [of the Americas].”
“Obviously we would like, and Ulster would like, for him to be there at the start of the season but if he can’t be, well then we’ll accept that and as I say we’ve got something that we’ll do to support Ulster.
“I think that’s the worst-case scenario. Do I think it will be January? No, I don’t. I think there will be a resolution before then so I am not concerned that it’s going to be January.”
Asked if the IRFU will need to pay compensation for the early release of McFarland, Nucifora said, “there’s no reason to do that.”
“They’re not asking for money. No one has asked for money. At the moment, they just wanted to utilise his services.”
Asked if the “Plan B” is to appoint an interim head coach at Ulster again should McFarland not arrive in time for the new season, Nucifora hinted at sending coaching support to Ulster.
Ireland assistant coach Andy Farrell would certainly be a contender to fill any such role.
“Probably just some help for the coaches up there,” said Nucifora. “We’ll wait and see. I don’t think we’ll have clarity on that until the tours are finished, so we’ll just see when we all get back home after our June tours and just see what the lay of the land is, I suppose, and see if the scenario has changed somewhat.”
Ulster had a disappointing 2017/18 season on the pitch, requiring a play-off win over the Ospreys to qualify into the Champions Cup, but Nucifora is confident that they can turn things around.
Shane Logan recently confirmed that he will step down as CEO and Nucifora expecting progress can be made.
“There are lots of things going on in Ulster,” said Nucifora. “There is a major rebuild underway. The remaining coaching team has only been there for a year, so really they are still new.
“Obviously, Dan is coming in as a new coach. There’s going to be a new CEO, there’s a new head of strength and conditioning, a new head of physiotherapy that we are in the middle of appointing. So it is a total rebuild and I think that’s exciting, it’s positive.
“We’ve got to get the most out of everyone. We can’t just rely on a couple [of the provinces], everyone has got to pull their weight.
“I think that this will turn itself around pretty quickly and I would be confident that we are not just putting sticking plaster over a few things. You can see that we are serious this time about rebuilding with a number of changes that are taking place.
“If we are going to do it, we’re going to do it properly and we need everyone to be a contributor.”
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Tough game. Happy to get the win. Frawley had an off night and has never convinced me at 10. On the plus side Boyle was good. He surely impressed Easterby. Good to keep the run going.
@Kevin: I agree. If I was Fawley I would insist that I want to play at 12 and nowhere else. Why? Well because it’s his best position and really he looks out of place anywhere else.And he is a good 12.
@Tom Reilly: And then he doesn’t start another game for the rest of the season!! Harry is gone to Bristol. When the full squad is back, he is second choice 10. When they are away he is 1st choice. Can we say the same at 12? He is at best 3rd choice 12, maybe 4th if you include Osbourne. When the Irish international are away, he still 2nd choice at best. Tector didn’t have his best game yesterday, but he can be very good at 12 too. Plus, he is on record that his preferred position is 10. I am sure he said it less diplomatically to Leo after the SA Summer tour and demanded his performances deserve a crack as the starting 10. Imagine if he went back into Leo’s office now and demanded to play 12 instead???
@Paul Ennis: farrell is a fantastic of putting players in with good experienced players around him. He was forcing stuff and it didn’t come off. Luke doesn’t help and 2 centres outside who 1 of them isn’t a centre and the other is just breaking through didn’t help either. Still he didn’t do himself any favours.
@chris mcdonnell: Ross Byrne has played outside Luke for 4 or 5 years against better teams than the Ospreys and we won better than last night. Poor performances are never on one player. I felt that the pack did not enforce themselves and made it very difficult for both half backs. The 6 for Ospreys (Harry Beavin I think?) had the game of his life and had me wondering why he isn’t in the squad for next week. He made life very difficult for us… and I hate referee bashing, but both of the Maul tries were secured on the back of not straight lineouts that the referee missed (we competed for both and Tipuric caught both of them on his outside shoulder). Those 2 tries kept the O’s in it. If the game wasn’t so tight, heads would have dropped and Leinster would have pulled away.
It’s difficult for poor Frawley to make an impact with a service like that. Leinster 9 need stronger back up to JGP.
@John Morris: service had nothing to do with his poor distribution. He just had one of those poor games.
@John Morris: or we can look at the reality, he’s not a 10, was never a 10 and Lancaster was absolutely right about that. He’s a good 12 and a decent 15 but was never a top level 10.
@John Morris: we lost one of the most exciting 9′s in the country because he couldn’t get game time ahead of mcgrath but them again it took farrell’s intervention to get JGP a game so nothing new there
Paddy mc looked good, absolutely busting lads out of it in the rucks in the second half. I like soroka, very abrasive. But it’s the old chestnut, where does he fit in when the internationals are back.
@JamesK: Defintly rate him highly
@JamesK: impressed with both young looseheads for leinster. Paddy has put on a good bit of bulk without losing his athleticism. Hopefully both get good game time for the rest of the year and paddy gets on the summer tour
@JamesK: Yeah his body comp has totally changed in a few months. Looks really like a prop now. Seemed to be moving dynamically enough like he did at 20s too.
Lads you’re all very critical. Have you ever gone on a long holiday from work & come back on your first day & nailed it. All of these guys haven’t play a competitive game in a month or longer.
@Gerry Hayden: well said even when an irish team wins they have to moan
@Gerry Hayden: No, I’ve never been on a months holidays. I’m not a school teacher.
@Ray Ridge: And not successful enough with your bets.
15 wins in a row job done
@Seanie: most important games to win
Harry Deaves head and shoulders above anyone else on the pitch tonight. He has a long international career ahead of him. One player whose international career is over before it’s properly started is Cieran Frawley. Can’t even pass the ball. Can’t kick it either. Definitely the most overhyped rugby player in the history of the game.
@Ray Ridge: Frawleys talents lie in plugging holes in the backline off the bench.
Never seems to perform from a starting role, at least not at ten.
@Ray Ridge: A clueless assessment. How did Ireland get on vs Scotland last week?
@Ray Ridge: Who
@Ray Ridge: O brien has more talent in his right finger compaired to HD
@Ray Ridge: nah that accolade goes to Harry Byrne, followed by Sam prendergast, although in fairness, Crawley gets bronze
@Cian Halley: frawley, typo.
@Cian Halley: Sam is real deal
@Ray Ridge: Frawley’s skill set has taken a pounding since he ‘bulked’ up to his height. He was promising as a 21yr old than of late. Sam P is taller again and he faces a similar possibility if he goes that way in the gym. As for today, ‘off day’ counts for little, and Leinster would lost that game without their NIQs.
@John Morris: Another bewildering poor assessment and take on things after Frawley has one bad game. For context, Jack Crowley has stank the place out in 80% of the games he’s played this season but you don’t see similar assessments. Funny how that works. Give Frawley a break FFS.
@John Morris: if my sister was a boy she be my brother then won ffs enjoy it
@Seanie: they
@Ray Ridge: quiet, bozo
@Carmine Lorenzo: Carmine, how have you not muted him yet? I couldn’t survive if I was exposed to that type of negativity on a daily basis.
@Carmine Lorenzo: going by the comments on here, it is mostly blue supporters giving out about him
@John Morris: Shock – Leinster had 2 players in their team today whobhelp them win a tricky game away from home!! They also would have lost it without McCarthy and Boyle but you didn’t feel that was relevant to mention? So because Sam P is tall, he faces the possibility of bulking up too much?? I think that is the most desperate attempt yet I have heard to try to talk sown Sam P. And finally, Frawley was never a skinny kid. It was one ofnthe things going for him when he was younger. But every time and opportunity came up for him, he picked up an injury. There was even one in a warm up for a European game. He was riddled with bad luck. And then, coming to the end of Sexton’s career, he just could get in front of the 2 Byrnes. Now Sam is there. His confidence is the issue, not his bulk.
@John Morris: Would have lost that game without their IQs too. What a silly comment
@PJ Smith: I disagree, this is an example of a ‘tricky’ fixture which Leinster have lost in the past. The winning try was a combo of RG and Slimani, and Leinster did not look like scoring again. Hard fact- they were surviving at the end and not pounding the line for a BP.
@Paul Ennis: desperate attempt to knock Sam P? Read my post again, it was clearly a concern for a possibility in Sam’s further (physical) development, not a put down. Loads of comments out there on his need to bulk up- I was just pointing out, by example, a possible outcome of that route. How can that be pathetic? I would hate to see his skills lost as a result.
@John Morris: Faux concern. I will be the first to admit if I have read a comment in the wrong context, but there is too much of this type of BS going on. Reminds me of Eddie Jones’ “concern” for Johnny Sexton’s welfare in the lead up to the 2022 6N match at Twickenham. You are in exhalted company.
Happy with that The wins picked up during the Six Nations are invaluable and Ospereys are a good side under their new coach. Great test for the less experienced guys.
@Conor Lynott: this one and Cardiff are actually must wins. We’ve 2 South African games away right after the 6 nations, so we’ll be without all the front liners, bar maybe a handful like furlong if he’ll be fit. It’ll be a big ask to pick up points down there
@JamesK: must win’s? Unbeaten all season they can afford a loss are 2
@Teddy O neill: Glasgow are 15 points behind with a game in hand, playing dragons on Sunday’s can assume top marks.
We’ve been stung before not having home advantage come May when fighting on both fronts, so these games are key pre SA
@JamesK: A lot of those guys tonight have been down to SA before. Soroka, Deeny, Penny, Gus McCarthy, Tom Clarkson, Michael Milne have all been on SA tours. Plus, you have Snyman and Barritt available hopefully and Tadhg Furlong. And the SA tour does not coincide with Europe this season so the coaching team won’t have to split up like last year and the year before to train two groups. That is an advantage. And we’re at home next week. So I’ve reasons to be options about the next three rounds.
@Teddy O neill: But can we afford 3
Firstly the frontrow were fantastic, penny and deagan also very good and in fairness all the forwards were good. The backs, on the other hand, Frawley was poor, mcgrath is awful, a scrumhalf who can’t pass a rugby ball and makes dreadful decisions. Osbourne should not be allowed drive home as he was clearly drunk. Both centres were ok as was the two wingers. Ross came on and while I am not a fan I did expect him to actually get a grip on the game and do a better job than frawley but he was invisible and just didn’t take advantage of frawleys poor display. I will say those 4 points will help come the end of the season especially if this is the squad that travels to SA. This was not a game that anyone will watch more than once.
@chris mcdonnell: haha
@chris mcdonnell: Drunk lol
@chris mcdonnell: I’m glad someone mentioned Harri Deaves. He was excellent, a real menace at the break down. Justin Tipuric had a great game as well. Wales could do a lot worse than drag him out of international retirement to finish off the six nations.
@peter lynch: Thank you. As I said, Deaves was head and shoulders the best player on the pitch.
Really happy with that. They have historically always been a bogey side. Plus they were unbeaten in 5 or 6. Not a classic performance but some good performances. Our 6 front rows were very good. Soroka made quite the impact too. Poor old Frawley didn’t have his best game, he was definitely forcing it. Ideally he’d be able to correct things next week but the reality is he may not get a chance again at 10 this season. Ross will probably get the start in the early March fixture.
@Carmine Lorenzo: frawely had a mare but Ross didn’t do much better. In fact the last 5 minutes he didn’t step up and close out the game like he should have done. He allowed the forwards play the game out and they gave away the penalty that should have cost us the game rather than take control as fans of his says he does. Not defending frawely he was poor but at least he tries things ross just doesn’t step up. Saying that worse than both frawley and ross was osbournes display. He was awful.
@Carmine Lorenzo: you’ve said again Ospreys are a bogey side. They’ve won 3 out of 18
@chris mcdonnell: It looked to me like Frawls has taken a step backwards. In the first half he was pushing things too much. He has getting stuck at the bottom of rucks, forcing kicks that were not on (one of them high risk in his own 22). Looking for the killer pass that is just outside his range. It is almost as if he is trying to prove that he can compete with Sam. Unfortunately he cannot. In the second half, he stopped trying. Taking the ball standing still. Getting caught behind the mainline. But he still has a huge role to play for Leinster and Ireland. He just needs to settle down, concentrate on his own strengths (one of which is his versatility) and find his niche. I defo don’t think Ross starts ahead of him in the next game, but he wasn’t awful. Ospreys were just really good
@jajosullivan@aol.com: 3 out of 18 for a side that has an 18 out of 18 record versus most teams is as bogey as you get!! LOL. However, they did have the hex over us 15 years ago. Especially in the finals (did they beat us 3 in a row?) I understand the point Carmine is trying to make. You don’t agree, and that’s ok. I understand that too.
Tector was by some distance Leinster’s best back. All of them (bar him) must have been practising their passing with Luke McGrath this week. I’ve never seen such loopy slow passing, not to mention forward. And where was Jacques’ defensive line with it’s pace. Very sloppy and glad to get the W
@Des Lamont: I was amazed he was taken off early. Frawley at 12 weakened the team.
The scrum battle last night proved perfectly why a yellow card must be one of the weapons at a referees disposal. Botha was being destroyed in the first 2 scrums and he decided that the only way he could survive was to start pulling it down or turning the scrum. The referee called him out after 4 penalties in a row and told the captain next time will be yellow. Low and behold, the penalties stopped. Excellent management from the referee
Frawls on a garryowen of a downward spiral
Well it’s official. The title of nastiest home crowd who boo everything which doesn’t suit their team (every ref decision and actions of the other
team’s players) which was held by the warriors fans up to now has passed to the Ospreys fans tonight.They were insufferable.
@John Ludgate: Yeah… I was thinking the same thing. Whenever Leinster were in possession, all you could hear were boost. When the first try was booed and I thought maybe the pass was forward, but it wasn’t even close. Then I realised as the match went on they were going to boo every pass. A little more positive energy is required if they are going to drag their national team out of the doldrums
Wales should call up Tipiruc , he continues to look like one of the best poaching sevens in Europe. Gatland really has destroyed welsh national rugby but his insistence not to play some of the more experienced players
Never heard so much whinging about a team that won a rugby game!
@Oran Burns: Wait till they lose 100 times worse