Johnson Appointment A Coup For SRU

The recent appointment of Ospreys head coach Scott Johnson by the SRU is a significant move in a number of ways.

Firstly, Johnson is a high calibre coach.  Having coached within the Welsh national setup, been the head coach of the US national team and been an assistant coach with his native Australia, Johnson has led a successful spell at the Ospreys since April 2009.

Secondly, it is a strong signal by the SRU of their will to progress and support head coach Andy Robinson following the renewal of his contract after the World Cup.  Robinson will no doubt have played a large part in the apppointment emphasising the mutual respect the Union and he has.

Scott Johnson to join Scotland at the end of the season

Make no mistake, the signing of Johnson is a little bit of a coup for the SRU.  His skills are universally recognised and I'm sure there would have been other suitors willing to pay for his services.  Johnson's first involvement with Scotland will come during the summer tour following the conclusion of the season.

The real effects of his work won't really be seen until the Autumn Internationals in 2012, and I for one am looking forward to seeing the impact ofanother high quality coach is to the Scottish team.

Different Ways Of Investing In The Future

In the last week, both the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) and Irish Rugby Union (IRFU) have released detailed plans for the future to introduce and nurture new talent within the national setups.  However, both Unions approach the problem of increasing grassroots participation in different ways but both from the top, at the professional level.

Comparing both Unions, they have similar numbers in terms of registered professional players and both countries have 4 professional outfits.  So what are the two adopted strategies?

Let's start with the Welsh.  With full support from the WRU, the Ospreys, Scarlets, Dragons and Blues have united to agree the terms of introducing a £3.5 million salary cap on each region, covering European squads only and excluding development players and academy costs, effective from the 2012/13 season. 

The WRU announced on their website that "...In removing the potential for dramatically increasing salary costs during a time of austerity for both businesses and individuals, the effect of a simple and focused salary cap will be to ensure balanced and sustainable costs...encourag[ing] further emphasis on the evolution of the development pathways".

Encouraging indeed.  There is a clear risk however to the strategy of having a salary cap; that the most valuable Welsh players playing in Wales will be lured elsewhere by higher salaries.  We have already seen the likes of Mike Phillips, James Hook and Lee Byrne moving to the continent to play for French teams in the Top 14 with the enticement of higher incomes.

The WRU intend to review the system on an annual basis to monitor it's effectiveness which strikes me as entirely sensible. The balance will be tricky to get right to avoid an exodus of top players.

Phillips, Byrne & Hook have all exiled to France

Meanwhile in Ireland, the IRFU have announced a series of adjustments of its player contract policy to further the development of Irish players and control the use of foreign players.  The plans, due to be introduced for the 2013/14 season, are geared towards increasing homegrown talent with the ultimate aim of improving the national team.

The clear difference between the two plans is that the Welsh agreement is one that has been generated by the clubs with the national Union in support whilst the Irish Union is the party taking control and imposing changes with apparently little or no consultation with Leinster, Munster, Ulster or Connacht.  This has rubbed certain people the wrong way, not least Leinster's foreign head coach Joe Schmidt. 

Schmidt has made no bones about his opposition to the IRFU revisions insisting that it is a knee-jerk reaction to Ireland's performance in the RWC in New Zealand, where they were knocked out by the Welsh.  He claims that the current setup is clearly sufficient and successful at bringing through young Irish talent in adequate numbers.

It begs the question of whether the roles would be reversed and the WRU would be the ones taking the lead and imposing sanctions on its regions had they had a poor World Cup. I suspect not, but it is worth considering.

Regardless, it strikes me that the Welsh system is the more sustainable longterm.  It is a considered and pragmatic solution to the times we live in, with the flexibility to be altered on an annual basis.  However, the attraction of the big money clubs outside of Wales and Ireland looks set to remain for the foreseeable future. 

Maybe there is a third option - one that has been adopted by New Zealand in recent years and is encouraged in Scotland: If you want to play for your national team, then you need to play for a club that belongs to that country.  Surely that is the ultimate incentive for any player?

Lennon Leads Celtic To The Top

October 15th 2011 is a day that will stick in my memory for a number of reasons.  The first, and clearly the most important is that it was the day I got married. But as I stood there in the church with my new wife, we were getting constant goal updates from Rugby Park where Kilmarnock were taking Celtic apart 3-0 at the halftime mark.

It proved to be a pivotal moment in the first half of the season for Celtic.  Whatever Neil Lennon told his men during that 15 minute break, it worked as Celtic clawed back the deficit to draw the game 3-3.

A point well saved, but certainly 2 points dropped and it dropped Celtic down to a 15 point deficit to league leaders and arch rivals Rangers, with Motherwell even taking the second place spot from the Hoops.

How times have changed.  Wednesday's 1-0 win over Rangers at a blustery Celtic Park completed a comeback that now sees Celtic top the table following a 9 win streak which began with a 2-0 win away at the then second placed Motherwell.  The streak sees Celtic taking 27 points from 9 games having only attained 23 points in the previous 12 games.

Joe Ledley scores the only goal against Rangers

So why the change in form, and more importantly the consistency of that form?

There's no doubt that the overall form of the team is down in large part to the form of individual and key players.  A prime example of one of those players is Georgios Samaras.  The love-hate relationship the Celtic fans have with the Greek is well known.  He often looks to be uninterested in games and so doesn'tinvest himselffully to the Celtic cause to the frustration of the fans, his teammates and the managerial staff.  However Lennon looks to have got h best out of Samaras these last few weeks, resulting in Samaras scoring goals including a brace against Kilmarnock on Christmas Eve.  Samaras goals are collectors items, but more often than not they come in important games.  But more than that is his seemingly renewed enthusiasm for playing the game, and in so doing has forged a strong relationship with striking partner Gary Hooper.

Celtic still have their problems.  I have lost count on the number of different back 4 combinations Lennon has been forced to field as a result of multiple injuries and suspensions.  Wednesday's game saw Thomas Rogne comfortably contain Nikica Jelavic despite a lack of game time this season, and Adam Matthews dominated the right flank on his return from injury.  The versatile Victor Wanyama was again outstanding in midfield after performing brilliantly at centre half against Kilmarnock and looks every bit the seasoned veteran at the age of just 21.

The youth of these players mixed with the tenacity and experience of the excellent Beram Kayal, Joe Ledley and Scott Brown is proving to be a balanced and potent mix for Neil Lennon.

Celtic have clawed their way back to the top of the table for the first time since April and without a consistent defensive lineup and key players like Emilio Izaguirre who is close to his comeback in the New Year.  The future looks bright for the Hoops, and much credit has to go to Neil Lennon and his young coaching team.  There were doubts about his lack of experience and his motivational ability outlasting the initial surge following his arrival late in the 2009-10 season. 

However, having narrowly losing the title by a single point, winning the Scottish Cup and now leading his team through this latest turbulent half of the season, Lennon is looking every bit the accomplished manager and indeed the man for the job at Celtic for the coming seasons.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves though.  There are no prizes for leading the league at New Year and Lennon will be all too aware of the challenge ahead of his team in the first half of 2012.  Let's hope this rich run of form continues to the end of the season.

In the meantime, I'd like to think that my marriage is a good omen for Celtic.