JOHNNY WATTERSONfinds plenty of scepticism over the decision to replace Brian McLaughlin
ALL GOOD scripts require rewrites. If the caliphs in Ulster had to reorder the scenes for their season so far, Brian McLaughlin would not be heading for the exit stage right.
For some the move leaves director of rugby David Humphreys in an awkward situation. Had Humphreys known that the endgame would be played out at Twickenham this weekend perhaps the choreography of the coach’s removal to the Ulster Academy and the arrival of Mark Anscombe would have been handled differently.
Most people are bemused by the pre-emptive strike against McLaughlin as it surely points to a province that had low hopes for the team. Hey presto, they make a Heineken Cup final and all the ire is directed at the decision-making moguls. The heat might even be enough to have the normally astute Humphreys feeling unsettled as more than bafflement hangs around Ravenhill.
“I think David Humphreys might well say ‘okay, he (Anscombe) doesn’t have a proven track record but we’re backing him’,” says former England international and Sky commentator Stuart Barnes.
“Of course, if that goes wrong, then you have to turn around and say you have made an absolute failure. I’m not saying that’s right or wrong, I have no idea about this guy.
“Sometimes as a boss you’ve got to say ‘I’ve scoured, he’s the one for me and you’ve got to give him a chance’ and a year down the line, if Ulster are champions of Europe but Brian McLaughlin is wallowing in the Academy or he gets the hump and he buggers off to England or France then frankly, David should resign because it would be such a terrible error.”
Tyrone Howe, the former Ulster and Ireland winger is also sceptical about a move that is seen to have been unnecessarily wounding to McLaughlin as well as premature. One possible rationale is that McLaughlin’s role will be to nurture Irish players to replace expensive South Africans, who have been pivotal in getting the team this far.
“That appears to be the key reason behind the move,” says Howe. “A lot of people are astounded by it. Players are picked on form and coaches probably expect the same.
“But if you listen to what comes out of the Ulster camp, that’s the reason, to try and maximise the sustainability of the success of the last two seasons and to maintain and improve the conveyor belt beyond the top.”
But what of Anscombe, who has never coached a team outside his country, arriving into a position where he will be expected to improve on a Heineken Cup final side. That’s a tough job description.
“Well, if I was the incoming coach sitting in New Zealand, watching the results I would be thinking ‘oh s***’,” adds Howe. “Because the best situation for a coach to come into is where things are rock bottom and the only way is up.
“Also, McLaughlin’s handled himself very well and there’s a huge amount of affection for him as a person as well as a coach within Ulster Rugby. I think they (Ulster) would say themselves they would do it differently again.”
Former Ireland and Lions prop Paul Wallace was in Ards Rugby Club recently, McLaughlin’s country. They didn’t like what they saw coming from Belfast. The better Ulster did the worse the optics appeared. .
“I think they’ve made a mistake and they’re just going with it. I don’t think they realised that they were going to get this far ,” says Wallace.
“I was up there recently and they’re not particularly happy about it. They’d be happier and Brian could probably take it easier if it was a world-renowned coach coming in. That’s the issue.
“It’s someone with a middle of the road track record. They’re saying it’s grand if they’re bringing a Nick Mallett or someone like that. But this is a guy we don’t know. We know Brian and he’s done a hell of a job. It just doesn’t make sense.”
