A Complex Mix of Factors

That’s what it was! A complex mix of factors lead to ireland underperforming at the world cup. I wonder how much it cost the IRFU to come to that decsion?!

Philip Browne, Chief Executive of the Irish Rugby Football Union said:

“These findings have been produced following extensive consultation by Genesis with the players, coaches, management and support staff who were involved with the Irish Squad’s preparations for, and participation in, RWC 2007 and through detailed reviews of key technical areas including fitness and conditioning and mental and psychological preparation. The objective of the process is to consider all relevant aspects of the Rugby World Cup campaign, to identify areas of weakness as well of strength so that steps can be taken to build for the future.”"The findings confirm that Management, Players and the IRFU alike accept that individually and collectively we underperformed at the World Cup and fell well short of our expectations and the expectations of our supporters. The onus is on us to learn from the experience and take corrective action to ensure we are competitive and successful at the highest international levels.”

“This presentation identified that there was a complex mix of factors involved in Ireland’s under performance at Rugby World Cup 2007.”

“In an effort to protect front line players from injury in advance of the World Cup, the findings are that they did not participate in a sufficient number of high intensity matches and thus they lacked the level of match practise required for them to perform to their optimal at the actual tournament.”

“In relation to the players’ reactions, which were sought through a confidential questionnaire in conjunction with IRUPA, together with one on one interviews, the report clearly found that personal issues or rifts did not exist or play any role in the underperformance of the team. While there were some individuals who had specific complaints, the squad members, as a unit, were constructive in their comments and identified areas in which the team management could be strengthened.”

Changes are afoot based on this report and are as follows:

Operational

• The appointment of a person, with international rugby experience, as part of the Management Team, to play a support role for the National coach.
• The appointment of a dedicated backs coach to further strengthen the management team.
• The retention of a professional to provide ongoing psychological support for the team and management.
• The development of more effective lines of communication between all those involved in the squad – players, coaches, management and support staff.

Strategic

• Review Ireland’s overall policy in relation to the Professional Game, clarifying the priorities and strategic goals as between the Provincial teams and the National team with a view to achieve improved alignment.
• The development of a performance model and specific action plan to build a far greater critical mass of international standard players competing for places in every position on the Irish Team.
• Identify routes to increase the opportunities for emerging players to perform competitively in an elite environment on a continuous basis.

Philip Browne went on to say:

“The IRFU views this report as a vital piece of research which it will use to introduce reforms in the specific areas highlighted and to guide its short, medium and long term planning for Ireland’s elite teams. In saying this we acknowledge that it will not be practicable to implement a number of these recommendations pre the upcoming Six Nations Championship.”

Tags: IRFU News
December 18th, 2007 | Posted in IRFU News | 1 Comment »