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Irish Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Conor Murray: Never assume anything when playing against a Joe Schmidt team
Beware the Wallabies' four-man lineout. It is 2014 and we have England right where we want them. Inside a packed Twickenham, lineout just outside the 22, every green jersey has a specific job to do. Devin Toner taps down and I go straight to Jamie Heaslip who hits into some big bodies. Two-second ruck. Toner covers some amount of ground to reappear in midfield and carry over the 22. Peter O'Mahony removes Joe Launchbury from the edge of the ruck. READ MORE I go back left to Jamie and loop around him (running a decoy). Paul O'Connell tugs at Launchbury's arm as Rob Kearney powers on to Heaslip's reverse pass, sprinting clean through a hole in the white wall. Johnny Sexton is on Rob's shoulder in case the England fullback Mike Brown, who is wrong-footed by my movement, recovers to make a try-saving tackle. Kearney goes under the posts, untouched, for a perfect try off three phases – directly from the brain of Ireland's new head coach. At Munster, we could never figure out Joe Schmidt's Leinster. The breakdown never went our way and we needed the Monday morning video session to understand how Leinster had opened us up. You'd see it at every other ruck – one of their players would deliberately 'clean long', thereby taking out a defender. Like the way Pete removed Launchbury. The mistake most teams made at this juncture was to expect Schmidt's players to repeat what worked the previous week. Never assume anything when playing against a side coached by Joe. Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt and Ireland scrum half Conor Murray during a team training session in October 2015. Photograph: Loic Venance/AFP via Getty Images Plenty of the Lions , players and coaches, have had their careers shaped by him. All that knowledge, coupled with his established attacking patterns, can be used against you. A small tweak is enough to tear the Lions open at the seams. Remember Richie Mo'unga in Paris? At a crucial moment during this Lions Test series in Australia, I guarantee that we will see something from the Wallabies attack that a Schmidt team has not previously executed. In Joe's head, rugby is a chess match. It is about everyone executing the tiny details. It was a relief going into Irish camp under him in 2013. The Munster, Ulster and Connacht lads had suffered enough. [ Joe Schmidt's masterplan - how former Ireland boss might attack former apprentice Andy Farrell Opens in new window ] In that first November series, we almost beat the All Blacks. We were still learning to reduce the errors and penalty count to single figures. We learned enough to beat New Zealand in Chicago and again in Dublin. It is always about manufacturing space. Like the CJ Stander try, back at Twickenham for the Grand Slam in 2018. Four-man lineout. Decoy runners everywhere. Sexton goes on a dummy loop around Tadhg Furlong, who pops a pass for Bundee Aki to split the seams. CJ was on his shoulder. Every single movement by every Irish player was mapped out and practised like an NFL playbook. Then there was the 2023 World Cup quarter-final at Stade de France, when New Zealand assistant coach Schmidt came back to haunt Ireland. The four-man lineout looked familiar. Never assume anything. Will Jordan's try was a twist on what Ireland had produced in the past. It was a system error by our defence but Joe's fingerprints were all over that Mo'unga line break at first receiver, direct from the lineout. Jordan was on his shoulder. [ Gerry Thornley: The Lions must be wary of wily old fox Joe Schmidt. Something special is brewing Opens in new window ] That night, the All Blacks frustrated the hell out of us. We were Munster against Leinster all over again as they scored two tries off first-phase attacks while we had to work incredibly hard for every point. The Wallabies and Joe would like nothing more than to drag the Lions into a similar, energy-sapping scenario. If the Lions are forced to commit more than two players to successive breakdowns, we have ourselves a serious contest. The difference between Jamison Gibson-Park getting two-second or five-second ruck ball could be the winning and losing of the series. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii of Australia during a Wallabies training session in Brisbane, Australia on Tuesday. Photograph:Like that World Cup quarter-final, there is a blueprint to beat an Andy Farrell team, although the Wallabies in 2025 would need to be as lethal as the All Blacks in 2023. Farrell has to be relishing the chance to match up against Schmidt's tactical brain. Joe is no different. Everyone knows everyone else extremely well. Farrell won't have time for second guessing Schmidt so that that role could fall to Sexton. We used to call Johnny 'Joe's son' as they were so aligned in camp. They would discuss potential scenarios for hours down in Carton House. Johnny was Joe's mind-in-motion on the pitch. I am not sure the Wallabies possesses a similar on-field general. What they do have is Joseph Suaalii. This Rugby League superstar is a cross between Israel Folau and Sonny Bill Williams. Against England last November, he repeatedly soared over Maro Itoje to win back Aussie restarts. Itoje was being lifted by his props. One way to avoid a close series is for the Lions to obliterate the Wallaby pack from kick-off. Gain a foothold in their 22 and let Dan Sheehan pilot tries off the driving maul. Take the coach out of the game.
Irish Times
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Make or break: Players who had their career made by a Lions tour or broken by it
Who was made by the Lions ? Who, if anyone, had their downfall because of touring down in the southern hemisphere? Saying any player saw the Lions as make or break for their career is a difficult concept. Most, if not all, players are established internationals, stars in their home country by the time they get called up to tour. Even those who had tour stinkers have, for the most part, gone on to have good international careers afterwards. Still, there are players who saw their reputation enhanced by the Lions. Is there anyone remembered more for their exploits in red rather than their national strip? As for the breaks, did anyone really have their career ended because of the Lions? There aren't a lot of examples. But there have been plenty of difficult tours for individuals, either on the pitch or, in one noteworthy example at least, because of their legendary off-field antics. READ MORE Make Rob Kearney To say the 2009 Lions tour 'made' Rob Kearney 's career does a disservice to what came before. When Ireland won the Grand Slam that year, the Co Louth native started every game. He was also Leinster's starting fullback during their Heineken Cup run that year, only for injury to see him miss the Croke Park semi-final against Munster. He returned to a bench role for the final, Isa Nacewa lining out at 15. Yet there is no disputing that Kearney went to South Africa that summer a first-choice international, but returned a bona fide star. Lee Byrne was the named the starting 15 for the first Test. Kearney revealed in a recent interview that Byrne was offered a heads-up prior to the selection meeting via a text from assistant coach Rob Howley. Kearney's Leinster team-mate Luke Fitzgerald spotted the message while sitting near Byrne. Rob Kearney, of the Lions catches the ball as Ricky Januarie challenges. Photograph: David Rogers/Getty However, when Byrne went off injured before half-time, Kearney entered the fray. He was promoted into the starting backfield for the second Test, a game in which he announced his arrival as one of the game's better fullbacks thanks to his aerial dominance. Kearney also scored the Lions' only try of the game in an infamous contest which ended in a last-second defeat after Morne Steyn punished Ronan O'Gara's aerial infringement. Had the Lions won that series, Kearney's ability to defuse a Springbok strength, the high bomb, would have been vital. Two years into his international career at that stage, he went on to earn just shy of 100 caps for Ireland, winning four Six Nations titles alongside four European crowns with Leinster. Alex Corbisiero We may well be stretching the definition of a Lions series 'making' someone's career with England prop Corbisiero. Initially, his prospects of making the 2013 tour to Australia looked nullified by a knee injury which ruled him out of the entirety of that year's Six Nations. British and Irish Lions prop Alex Corbisiero (centre L) is congratulated by teammate Richard Hibbard (centre R) after scoring a try against Australia. Photograph: William West/AFP via Getty Yet when Cian Healy went down in the second tour game against the Western Force, Corbisiero's phone rang. His subsequent contribution is difficult to understate, even if scrum penalties might not be everyone's idea of beautiful rugby. While he started the first Test, it was Corbisiero's dominance in the third which earned him a place in propping folklore. He got on the end of the first-minute try which set the tone for the Lions' dominance, but his set-piece work is what stands out. Such was the extent of the Lions' upper hand at the scrum, referee Romain Poite sent Wallaby tighthead Ben Alexander to the bin with fewer than 25 minutes on the clock. Alexander's scrummaging nemesis? Corbisiero. As much as the England prop added value with his early five-pointer, Leigh Halfpenny kicked nine points in the first half alone thanks to three scrum penalties. Corbisiero's frontrow team-mates Adam Jones and Richard Hibbard could rightly claim their credit for the damage, as should the entire scrummaging eight. Yet the story of the overlooked late call-up catapulted into Test dominance has long been romanticised. Especially as Corbisiero only made two further international appearances after that tour, injuries curtailing his career. The prop has Six Nations and Premiership medals, but nothing boosted his reputation as much as his Lions stint. Willie John McBride Low-hanging fruit? Maybe. But be honest, is it the Ballymena forward's exploits in the green of Ireland or red of the Lions which have earned him more renown? In today's professional era, with a better developed and marketed international game, McBride may well have been as much of an Irish star as a Lions one. Given the hype machine that is Lions inc, they do a much better job of eulogising his five tours than Irish rugby has done with his 63 national caps. Willie John McBride leads out the Lions against South Africa. Photograph:: Allsport UK McBride was a Lion in 1962, 1966, 1968, 1971 and 1974. His 17 Lions Tests and 70 appearances in red are both records which, given today's era of shorter tours, will almost certainly never be broken. The Ulsterman was part of the infamous 2-1 victory over New Zealand in 1971, while his leadership of the 1974 tour is arguably his most lauded contribution. Rugby loves some nostalgic amateur violence, hence the popularity of McBride's '99' call, an instruction to raise fists and fight back against what was seen as Springbok thuggery. Perhaps again a measure of the Lions modern marketing ability, that tour is remembered by some for 99 and a 3-0 win as much as the controversy of travelling to apartheid South Africa. A more modern measure of McBride's Lions status is the authority given to him by others. Prior to this tour, McBride said the number of players travelling who were born outside the four countries 'bothered' him. Whether we agree with him or not, it is a marker of McBride's standing in Lions folklore that the comments of a man who last wore the red shirt in 1974 got the attention they did. Break Austin Healy The England scrumhalf was never one to say nothing when something could be said. But the Lions tour of Australia in 2001 went badly wrong for several reasons with Healy in the eye of the storm. Coach for the tour Graham Henry later wrote of 'an age-old story. Betraying trust and betraying your mates for 30 pieces of silver.' Discontent followed the squad from the beginning when Henry picked 10 Welsh players to tour when they were hammered by England that year 46-12. The Lions had beaten Australia in the first Test match in The Gabba before losing the second in Colonial stadium. Rob Howley had been first choice scrumhalf for those games. Austin Healy of the Lions in 2001. Photograph: Billy Stickland/Inpho Although the Leicester and England star withdrew from the Test decider against Australia because of a back injury, Healy's column in the Guardian made all the news and drew the ire of the Lions management. BBC columnist Matt Dawson had already criticised the style of management and training on the tour. When Healy made negative remarks about Australian weather, the country's male population and took a swipe at Wallabies lock Justin Harrison, whom he labelled a 'plod' and a 'plank', all hell broke loose. A poetic end to the controversy arrived in the final Test which Australia won, with Harrison's lineout steal near the end averting a potential Lions try that could have won the game and the series. When Healy returned home he brought out his own book Lions, Tigers and Roses, telling stories of how some players on the tour had referred to Henry as 'that Kiwi runt'. And Harrison, well the 'ape, plod and plank' joined Ulster in 2005 on a three-year contract. Stuart Hogg The 2013 tour to Australia probably came too early for one of Scotland's outstanding players. Distantly related to footballer George Best, Hogg was a charismatic fullback but as a young 20-year-old, the same age as Henry Pollock is on this year's tour, his selection came well before his peak. He played five of the Lions' warm-up games but failed to make a Test team. Then when the 2017 tour to New Zealand arrived four years later, thoughts turned to the game-changing back, who was then an influential figure with Scotland. Hogg had an underwhelming first game-and-a-half before being injured by an accidental stray elbow from team-mate Conor Murray, instantly ending his tour and his chance to prove himself on the Test match stage. Stuart Hogg got injured in the 2017 tour of New Zealand. Photograph: Kai Schwoerer/Getty Four years later on the 2021 tour to South Africa, Hogg was picked at fullback in the 17-22 first Test win. He started again in the second game against the Springboks but the Lions lost 27-9. But by the third Test in Cape Town, Warren Gatland had seen enough and Hogg didn't even make the matchday squad with Welsh back Liam Williams starting and England's Elliot Daly as utility backup on the bench. Hogg never made the running impact of which he was capable. There were also defensive howlers in the Test matches and he never quite gave certainty, especially under some high balls. Then with Exeter Chiefs and the Six Nations Player of the Year in successive seasons in 2016 and 2017, one of Scotland's most talented players failed to roar as a Lion. Blair 'Paddy' Mayne A Lions tourist in 1938, Mayne is better known these for his depiction in the BBC docudrama SAS: Rogue Heroes as one of the founding members of the infamous unit during the second World War. One of the Originals in the Special Air Service's (SAS) early era, Blair 'Paddy' Mayne, reputedly the hardest-drinking, freest-swinging firebrand ever to don a Lions jersey, but also a decorated second World War hero Originally from Newtownards, Mayne debuted for Ireland in 1937, going on to earn six caps and selection for the next year's tour of South Africa. While there, he gained infamy for smashing team-mates' hotel rooms, hunting a springbok (the animal, not a rugby player) and helping to temporarily free a convict who was working on the construction of the Ellis Park Stadium. So the story goes, when the con was found a day after being released by Mayne and co, he was found wearing a jacket with the Ulster secondrow's name stitched on the collar. In the springbok incident, Mayne reportedly left the animal's carcass outside the room of the South African manager. It was not a foreshadowing of what was to come, the Lions losing the series 2-1. Knowing he would be in trouble given his significant rap sheet, Mayne disappeared from the squad, not resurfacing until everyone made for the ship home. When war broke out in 1939, Mayne joined up with the Royal Ulster Rifles. He was later recommended to David Stirling when the SAS was formed, the series of events depicted by the BBC show which was released in 2022. As much as war interfered with Mayne's rugby career, given his legendary off-field behaviour, he would have done well to stay in the good books long enough to earn a second Lions tour in an alternative version of history.
National Post
10-05-2025
- National Post
Canadian officer reprimanded, fined $3,000 for 'crude' comment about British general
A highly decorated Canadian officer and Afghan war veteran was fined $3,000 and given a severe reprimand for a derogatory comment he made about a British brigadier general. Article content Article content A Canadian military court martial held Thursday in Gatineau heard that Col. Rob Kearney was in his tent with two other officers on a military exercise when he referred to the female brigadier general as a 'f—ing c–t.' Article content Article content Brig. Gen. Irena Dzisiewska was not present when the comment was made during a NATO command post exercise in Romania in October 2023. But a British officer who was in the tent with Kearney filed a complaint with the Canadian military. Article content Article content Military Judge Col. Nancy Isenor said the comment was 'gender-based, crude and offensive' and brought disrepute to the Canadian Forces. Kearney, who has since retired from the Canadian military, was assistant chief of staff at the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps in Innsworth, United Kingdom at the time of the incident. Article content He submitted a guilty plea to one count of conduct prejudice to the good order and discipline. Article content Kearney, a reservist at the time of the incident, was originally charged with five counts. The allegation at the time was that Kearney had 'made derogatory and disloyal comments about Senior CAF and NATO members,' according to a Canadian Forces April 2024 news release. Article content Article content Isenor accepted the joint submission from the defence lawyer and prosecution that Kearney's punishment should be a $3,000 fine and a severe reprimand. No explanation was provided during the court martial about why the proceedings were for only one charge of conduct prejudice to the good order and discipline. Article content Article content The court heard that Kearney had a stellar career, having served in the Canadian Forces for 31 years. During that time he earned 15 military decorations, including two commendations from the Chief of the Defence Staff, one army commendation, and a U.S. Meritorious Service Medal. Article content Kearney, an Afghan war veteran, was in the regular force until May 2012. He left the military for the private sector and returned to the reserve force in August 2015. He had received a Canadian Meritorious Service Medal for his service in Afghanistan. Article content The court heard that Kearney was in charge of briefing two generals during the command post exercise in Romania. Dzisiewska, who was not an active member of the group being briefed, voiced criticism of Kearney and his team during the discussion. Kearney responded that if Dzisiewska had any concerns she should take those up with the major general who was in overall command.
Toronto Sun
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Sun
Canadian officer fined $3,000 for derogatory comment about British general
Rob Kearney, a retired colonel, pleaded guilty to making the comment during a NATO command post exercise in 2023. A decorated Canadian officer was fined $3,000 for a derogatory comment he made about a British general. Photo by Ashley Fraser / POSTMEDIA A highly decorated Canadian officer and Afghan war veteran was fined $3,000 and given a severe reprimand for a derogatory comment he made about a British brigadier general. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account A Canadian military court martial held Thursday in Gatineau heard that Col. Rob Kearney was in his tent with two other officers on a military exercise when he referred to the female brigadier general as a 'f—ing c–t.' Brig. Gen. Irena Dzisiewska was not present when the comment was made during a NATO command post exercise in Romania in October 2023. But a British officer who was in the tent with Kearney filed a complaint with the Canadian military. Kearney, 60, later apologized, took responsibility for his comments, and co-operated with Canadian military police who were called in to investigate the incident. Military Judge Col. Nancy Isenor said the comment was 'gender-based, crude and offensive' and brought disrepute to the Canadian Forces. Kearney, who has since retired from the Canadian military, was assistant chief of staff at the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps in Innsworth, United Kingdom at the time of the incident. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. He submitted a guilty plea to one count of conduct prejudice to the good order and discipline. Kearney, a reservist at the time of the incident, was originally charged with five counts. The allegation at the time was that Kearney had 'made derogatory and disloyal comments about Senior CAF and NATO members,' according to a Canadian Forces April 2024 news release. Isenor accepted the joint submission from the defence lawyer and prosecution that Kearney's punishment should be a $3,000 fine and a severe reprimand. No explanation was provided during the court martial about why the proceedings were for only one charge of conduct prejudice to the good order and discipline. The court heard that Kearney had a stellar career, having served in the Canadian Forces for 31 years. During that time he earned 15 military decorations, including two commendations from the Chief of the Defence Staff, one army commendation, and a U.S. Meritorious Service Medal. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Kearney, an Afghan war veteran, was in the regular force until May 2012. He left the military for the private sector and returned to the reserve force in August 2015. He had received a Canadian Meritorious Service Medal for his service in Afghanistan. The court heard that Kearney was in charge of briefing two generals during the command post exercise in Romania. Dzisiewska, who was not an active member of the group being briefed, voiced criticism of Kearney and his team during the discussion. Kearney responded that if Dzisiewska had any concerns she should take those up with the major general who was in overall command. During another similar briefing for senior officers, Dzisiewska continued her criticism of Kearney and his team. Kearney later returned to his tent that he shared with members of his team. The court heard that it was 'after a long difficult day during a rant' that he made his comment about Dzisiewska. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. A U.S. lieutenant colonel who was present in the tent told investigators that Kearney called Dzisiewska a 'c–t' while a British wing commander told officials that the term used was 'f—ing c—t.' Both took offence to the terminology. The military prosecutor noted the comment was made during the course of Kearney's duties and brought discredit upon the Canadian military. Kearney's reservist contract was not renewed and he was posted back to Canada from Europe. The court heard that he faced a significant financial penalty because of that. The court also heard that Kearney experienced embarrassing publicity because of media coverage which followed the release of the Canadian Forces news release about the incident in April 2024. Retired Col. Brett Boudreau, who attended the proceedings Thursday, noted that the Canadian military had various ways and means, besides the court martial route, to deal with the Kearney incident. 'This was an egregious use of military police and military justice resources to deal with a matter that could easily and sufficiently been dealt with at the time by CAF leaders through administrative disciplinary means,' Boudreau said. David Pugliese is an award-winning journalist covering Canadian Forces and military issues in Canada. To support his work, including exclusive content for subscribers only, sign up here: Read More
CBC
08-05-2025
- CBC
Retired army colonel fined, reprimanded for insulting British senior officer
A retired, highly decorated Canadian soldier pleaded guilty, was fined and given a severe reprimand on Thursday over an insulting remark he made about a British senior officer while on a NATO exercise. Former colonel Rob Kearney, who fought in Afghanistan, made the remark about British Brig.-Gen. Irena Dzisiewska in his tent in the presence of two other officers. The incident took place during what's known as a command post exercise in Romania in October 2023. Kearney faced a military court martial and pleaded guilty to one count of conduct which is prejudice to good order and discipline. The military judge fined Kearney $3,000 and ordered a severe reprimand to the 60-year-old reservist who had originally faced a total of five charges. Kearney referred to the female brigadier general as a "f---ing c---t." Dzisiewska was not in the tent at the time, but another British officer was and filed a complaint with the Canadian military. The military court was told on Thursday that Dzisiewska criticized Kearney and his team, which had the responsibility of briefing two other allied generals. During a separate, second briefing, Dzisiewska renewed her complaints. It was afterward, in his tent, that Kearney made the remark. After the incident, Kearney apologized and took responsibility for his remark. He also co-operated with Canadian military police who investigated the incident. Kearney had served in the regular force of the Canadian Army for over 30 years. Over the span of his career, he received 15 military decorations, including both a Canadian and a U.S. Meritorious Service Medal for his time in Afghanistan. He retired in 2012 but returned to the reserves a few years later where he held a number of senior advisory positions at National Defence Headquarters before becoming assistant chief of staff at the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps in Innsworth, United Kingdom.
