British & Irish Lions
• British & Irish Lions tour Australia in 2013
Ireland Rugby
Reddan flies the Irish flag
Irish supporters (particularly those of a Munster persuasion) will get some consolation at the welcome sight of Eoin Reddan around the fringes of the Wasps scrum in their all-Engish semi-final with Northampton this weekend.
“He may be unsung outside the club but he’s been very important to us,” said Wasps’ captain, Lawrence Dallaglio. “It’s been quite difficult for him this winter, flying out to join Ireland squads and not playing, but his performances have been outstanding. He must be putting serious pressure for the Irish No9 shirt on Stringer and Isaac Boss and I’m sure it won’t be long before Eddie O’Sullivan has a long look at him.”
An apprenticeship under Matt Dawson organised by Warren Gatland seems to have done trick, by the middle of the 2005/2006 season he had deposed Dawson and become first choice.
“I know Matt has his detractors and he even said to me once that rugby was not a popularity contest but with me he was a complete gent. He was always full of advice and very helpful and I still speak to him from time to time. Sometimes you work with coaches who haven’t played the game for 30 years. But Matt’s advice was always relevant because he was familiar with the way a scrum-half plays in the modern game.
“And Wasps is a club like Munster in some ways. It has an earthy feel to it. I know people say that we don’t have our own ground but there is something here you can’t recreate, a real team spirit. Wasps have the knack of making shrewd signings, like Matt, or Phil Vickery or Raphael Ibanez. These are quality players but had lost their way a bit and they were grateful to be signed and have felt they owed the club something. Every time you pull on the jersey here, you know it’s going to be difficult to hold on to your place.
“In the gym and when we train things are short, sharp and aggressive and well-managed and the system works. There’s a real buzz about the place at the moment. But Northampton showed how dangerous they can be last week. You can’t discount a side with the likes of Reihana, Spencer and Cohen, and we haven’t hit out best form in out last couple of games.”
Meanwhile Reddan, whose contract lasts until the end of next season, has no plans to join Leicester’s Irish forwards Leo Cullen and Shane Jennings and his fellow Wasp Jonny O’Connor in returning home. “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it,” he says of his happy life in exile.