Scott Bemand, long-serving ex-England assistant coach, has been appointed Ireland’s head coach.
This excellent news comes not a moment too soon and is a fitting tribute to Bemand, who offered England unstinting service for eight years.
He will be in no doubt about the challenge he has taken on. The IRFU has matched the WRU in its ineptitude in caring for its women’s sector over several seasons. The Welsh have started putting their house in order; their reward is a coveted place in WXV1 in the autumn.
Ireland’s most recent news is the unexpected retirement of their captain, Nichola Fryday. The 15’s squad achieved their poorest return in the 2023 Six Nations most people could remember. The clash with the Sevens programme has not been resolved.
It will take a lot of tact and determination on Bemand’s part to sort out the remaining issues at dispute between the players and the authorities.
They may help to explain the lengthy delay between Greg McWilliams’ departure and Bemand’s appointment. It is twelve weeks since the position fell vacant. We can easily imagine earnest discussiona going over the fine print of the new contract, Bemand wanting to ensure he knows the full range of his authority. He will have built his own opinions of what was going wrong with the Irish set-up in the many encounters he had with his counterparts at 6N level and elsewhere.
Though Bemand may be best known as Simon Middleton’s number two, he was in charge of the England side for a period. Even so, he may be very pleased to have full authority in his new post, whatever the challenges it will undoubtedly pose.
Most Irish critics point the finger of blame at the top of the pyramid of authority, so Bemand will have needed to know the extent of the powers he had to put through any changes in policy he found necessary. Getting certain national unions to give way over the Olympian preference for Sevens can prove a tricky hurdle.
We don’t have to look very far back to see Irish rugby blooming. It helps too that the men’s team is cock of the ranking walk, though the disparity in treatment between them and the women’s squad must still rankle. But a full-strength women’s team, properly led and prepared, can make a rapid return to former standards.
A first task for Bemand will be to name a captain. That choice will help to decide the speed of recovery for the whole squad.
News from Ulster
Alongside this national news comes the appointment of Murray Houston as head coach of Ulster. Perhaps even more significant is the addition of Kathryn Dane to the Ulster staff. She is still suffering the effects of a brain haemorrhage she suffered last November, so we can only wish her well in her new role and hope she continues to make a full recovery.
