LI Confidential

New aeason, new hope
By Griff
August 23 2005

Rugby, the sages say, is a confidence game. The team with confidence has a huge advantage over one that is unsure. You only have to look at the Leicesters and All-Blacks of this world to see the truth in that.

It could be suggested that Irish never have had that, even after their most successful period, the 2002 Powergen Cup win and highest finish ever in the league, we never had that air of a team that knows how to win.

If Irish are to become the team we all want them to, then, it follows that this is something that they need to develop. The good news is that that is exactly the feeling you got coming away from the London Irish Open Day at the Madejski Stadium yesterday.

The Open Day concept is a new one, previously the first contact with the new sqaud members has been the friendlies or the LISC BBQ but this year, in a master-stroke, the commercial side of the club decided to open up their playing home to the support and show-off a bit. I think all supporters, like me, went along with few expectations but came away feeling pretty good about everything Irish.

It wasn't all show though, it still felt like the Irish of old. The era of professional rugby could be seen to drive a wedge between club and supporter but LIRFC still manage to make their punters feel part of something.

On arrival most people gathered at the front of the megastore where there was an opportunity (including beanie toy!) to join the fantastic Digger Club, an initiative that will surely have swelled the ranks with adults and children signing up in large numbers. There were also plenty of players, both old-hands and new-boys, around to chat away and sign anything and everything. The shop was well stocked with the new shirt and other merchandise and also well staffed so that the queues were kept to a minimum. I would guess that a good few "units" were shifted yesterday and at £46 for a short-sleeved shirt (£41.40 with ST discount) these are good value.

The new shirt seems to hae been well recieved. The only thing anyone seems to miss is the little pint on the back, however I'd point out this got in the way of getting your name printed on the back so it might actually work out for the better. My only concern with the shirt is that the sponsor (good old Guinness) is printed onto the new, very silky, material and may end up peeling off after much abuse and washing - time will tell.

After milling around at the front of the megastore you could then enter the west-stand concourse and wander about in the stadium. The mighty Digger was available for photos, as were the ever-present players, and it was a genuinely nice, relaxed atmosphere with people milling around chatting, drinking and smiling. The changing areas were also open and you could get to see where the players prepare for their matches.

Something I was unaware of is the sports-psychology that RFC have employed. The home changing room is a light, airy room coloured in the Royals' blue and white but the away area is coloured a very dark, cloying purple. It is specifically done as, I'm told, purple induces confusion and I have to say it is a genuinely unpleasant place to be. Our home record should really be a lot better...

Tours of the hopitality suites were available for anyone interested and seemed to be well-supported (I've done hositility on a match day, it is brilliant, so I didn't partake of the tour). These will hopefully have drummed-up some more interest and business for the club.

The main-events, however, were two Meet the Players Q&A sessions, hosted, seamlessly as ever, by the lovely Paddy Lennon. In the first we were treated to Nick Kennedy, Michael Collins, Ross Laidlaw and Ryan Strudwick.

Nick talked about his recent hip operation, which seems to have gone well, he sees a specialist in a few weeks and should be back playing soon. He did only come off his crutches a couple of weeks ago though so he's likely to miss the start of the season. Nick was second only to big Bob Casey in the ZP last year for lineout steals - he was keen to point out that he played in fewer games.

New chap Michael Collins turned out to be as nice as every other Kiwi you've met, he's found the move to England a bit daunting as apparently there are simply loads more people here than in NZ. He's used to seeing about 100 people per day, but here he see's that many in about 5 minutes. He seemed impressed with the stadium facilities (it was his first visit to the stadium) and was very keen to start making his mark.

Ross has become the latest in the growing list, begun by Nick Kennedy, to move from the LI academy into the main squad. He looked a bit rabbit-in-the-headlights with his new-found attention but he'll soon get used to that. It's a big step up for him but if he fulfils his potential we'll have an heir to Barry very soon.

Ryan, still club captain, was the media tart we all know. Very comfortable in the spot-light and laughing and joking with Paddy. He, like all the players seemed happy and up-beat about the new regime. Pre-season is tough (especially for old-men like Ryan...) but it has given them focus and belief you couldn't help but believe them.

The goal, we were told by Ryan, and later by Brian Smith, is T4. That is top-four in the GP. They were thinking of simply aiming for top 6 and HC but the players themselves have set the T4 target and are keen to deliver. There was, as I said, an air of confidence and belief.

The second Q&A was a livlier affair, you get that when the hecklers (you know who they are) get a table close to the action.

Declan Danaher started off and again you got the feeling of belief from him. He had his share of injury problems last season but is fit and looking a little larger (in an athletic way, he won't be turning out for the Fairies just yet). Paddy asked him how he felt about the back-row competition with Olivier Magne (Charlie, apparently, don't ask me why) and Leguizemon joining us. Dec said there has always been competition and he welcomes it.

Paddy asked both Dec and Nick whether they expected Andy Robinson to be paying them attention this year and they both gave a very satisfactory "If I play well and Irish play well then I'll attract the attatention".

Academy star Shane Geraghty came next, it's very difficult not to be impressed with this young man, he epitomises youthful talent and confidence. He talked a little bit about his advetures with the England U21 team in Argentina this year and about his aims to join Ross Laidlaw in the full squad. While Shane has played pretty much every back role he's taken coaching advice and will be concentrating on inside centre. As we have a small short-fall in this area, this sounds like good news to me.

Ben Willis is, we are told, one to be watched. He has, according to Mr Lennon, one of the best passes in the game and will, in that case, be a welcome addition to the team. This is despite having once been seen wearing one of those foul multi-coloured quartered shirts somewhere at the end of the M3. Ben played his rugby in France last year and is very happy to be back in a British rugby club. It sounds like the culture difference put him off playing for a French side, despite the food and wine - our gain.

Paul Gustard popped in and had an unscripted chat with Paddy which basically reinforced the impression of a good feeling throughout the camp. Paul is past his shoulder problems (we all hope) and keen to join the new-look Irish back row more regularly. He said that the cryo-chamber in Poland was nothing new to him as he is from Newcastle - he said it reminded him of Whitley Bay (although I imagine there was less drizzle).

The final player was the man most people felt would not be with us this year. Bob Casey, the new slimline version, was in great spririts. He's lost a bit of weight but none of his charm and he sounded like a man very happy with his lot. He, more than any of the other players, gave the impression that he felt that we are a team destined for a much better season and that along with that he'll be getting the nod from Eddie O'Sullivan.

We finished with the real new boys. New CEO Ian Taylor and Director of Rugby Brian Smith who seem to be a good team on their own. They presented a very relaxed, confident, united front. Ian seems happy to pick up the commercial side and let Brian get on with the rugby. It might seem obvious to say that but lines of demarquation are often difficult in businesses and it's good to see that the new team have this sorted. They fielded questions from the floor which pretty-much amounted to one "What are we doing to get better?". Brian explained that they have changed the training systems pretty-much from the ground-up along with an influx of new players and a hard look at all of the current ones. The facilites at Sunbury have had a much-needed revamp and we use some other facilites in Twickenham too. The trip to Poland seems to have gone down well, the super-cold training allows much faster recovery and lets you do more work in a shorter time.

Ian explained that he considers it his job to keep the business supplying the rugby-side with the money to improve, all I suppose, fairly obvious but good to hear. He also told us that we are the best salespoeple the club has, a definite shift in policy and that they hoped to maximise their support from within.

Both guys went on to hang around, available to all to chat to and ask questions. Asking Mr Taylor about our prospects for signing a certain prop gave me the impression that we may hear something very soon but, of course, you can never pre-empt these things.

All in all it was difficult not to come away feeling optimistic for the next season. We have done it all before, and had our hopes crushed shortly afterwards but I, for one, came away fully signed-up to ride the green roller-coaster all over again - perhaps this time it'll turn into a real thrill ride instead of the disappointing damp-squib of previous years.