On a bright spring morning in late March 2003, I found myself driving into Old Belvedere Rugby Club to drop off some analysis equipment to my office at the time. The night before, I was involved in a thrilling match in Donnybrook, where Ireland A defeated an England A team 24-21 thanks to a long-range injury-time penalty by Mark McHugh to prevent England from winning a Grand Slam. 

There was a big bus at the entrance to the Anglesea Road club as I pulled up. As I passed the bus on my way to the office, I could see that it belonged to the England rugby team. They were about to begin a team run in preparation for their Grand Slam winner-take-all match at Lansdowne Road the following afternoon against an undefeated Irish team that was also vying for their first Grand Slam since 1948.

Before the session started, I was astounded by the number of people in England tracksuits on the side-line and pitch. They weren’t players. The England coach Clive Woodward had assembled a massive group of experts from specialist coaches, medical staff, sports scientists, analysts, and operational staff that would go on to win a Grand Slam and seven months later a Rugby World Cup, becoming the only northern hemisphere team to do so to date.

In order to prepare for the biggest game to date on their path to winning the World Cup, Woodward sat back and gave his squad of elite professionals the freedom to bring their expertise to an equally elite bunch of players. The following day, as Martin Johnston irritated a boisterous Lansdowne Road crowd by refusing to switch sides for the national anthems, England crushed Ireland’s hopes of winning the Grand Slam at home with a 42-6 victory. 

Since then, most of the top international teams have now adopted Woodward’s blueprint for building high-performance teams, which involves “the team behind the team” and has spread to several sports.

Call of Duty

Last Sunday at Murrayfield, the Irish medical team of Stephen Mutch, Keith Fox, and team doctor Ciaran Cosgrave were put to the test when faced with a nightmare scenario. They had to deal with three injuries within the first 23 minutes and were forced to withdraw Doris, Sheehan, and Henderson. In the 34th minute, Fox was back on the field to deal with another injury to Kelleher. The message conveyed through the radio communication to Farrell in the coaching box would have been unwelcome news, as Fox informed him about the need to replace Kelleher.

The coaching staff would have had to quickly devise a strategy to play without their two established hookers, and thus, they would have tried to delay the substitution to gain more time. There was no training or emergency planning that could have foreseen such a dramatic situation. Andy Farrell wants Ireland to embrace adversity but even he must have felt that this was a little bit over the top. Be careful what you wish for.

But as the medics continued to focus on the wellbeing of the players on the field, managing the four injured players and devising a plan for them, they also had the added pressure of the tactical plans by the coaches, the ones they’d set before the game, the ones they’d set out before the game. The expert medical care that these players receive was in clear view of the world. With the unfortunate injury to Garry Ringrose in the 72nd minute, where they were quickly attended to the player following a tackle, and after a delay to the game of some eight minutes, Ringrose was safely removed from the field. Throughout the media scrutiny and questioning of player availability and the number of soft tissue injuries, the medics have remained focused on their jobs, ensuring the players are in the best possible condition for the upcoming matches. 

Team masseurs Willy Bennett and David Revins will be working tirelessly this week to aid in the players’ recovery, and their efforts have not gone unnoticed. Despite the challenges faced, the medical team’s world-class performance has been integral to the team’s success, and their dedication and expertise have proven to be invaluable.

This is a week when it becomes clear why these backroom teams are so important.

More than a slogan

In the field of high-performance coaching, the selection of competent staff and their integration into the team culture is crucial to success. People – as identified in Lara-Bercial & Mallett’s seminal paper on Serial Winning Coaches – are one of the four major themes associated with a winning coaching environment. The coaching group of Farrell, O’Connell, Easterby, Catt, and Fogarty have received praise for coaching the world’s leading rugby side, but it is important to acknowledge the support team that Andy Farrell has cultivated during his time in charge of Ireland. 

While Farrell inherited most of his support team from previous head coaches, he has moulded them into a world-class functional group. Getting the right people on the bus is vital to ensure this team can perform to their potential, and Farrell has allowed this group to bring a level of expertise to Ireland while maintaining the faith of each member.

This week presented significant challenges for Ireland and thir support team. With a six-day turnaround, they needed to factor in travel from Edinburgh to Dublin, a performance review of the Scotland game, a review of England, training, and a detailed six-day schedule including training, recovery, match preparation, and media responsibilities.

All of this was done under the added pressure of trying to win a Grand Slam at the end of a tournament that brought enormous pressure on this skillful group of people. Farrell’s ability to identify and develop his support team has been instrumental in Ireland’s recent success, and its ability to navigate the challenges of this week demonstrate their skill and dedication to the team’s success.

Extra baggage tags needed

The success of a high-performance team is not just limited to the team’s skills on the field, but also extends to the behind-the-scenes logistics and planning. This operation is led by Gerard Carmody, along with travel manager Geraldine Armstrong and kit and logistic coordinator John Moran. Their responsibilities are vast, as they must transfer not only the players and staff but also all the necessary equipment, including medical supplies and analysis equipment, to various locations throughout the season.

Travelling can already be stressful for many people, especially those with children, but imagine bringing a squad of over 30-plus players and 20-plus staff members, along with all their necessary baggage. The team requires whole floors in hotels, including meeting rooms and areas for food. It is crucial that the team hotel meets the standard and dietary requirements of elite athletes. 

The performance nutritionist Emma Hood plays a pivotal role in this part of the operation, liaising with the chef to ensure that each individual’s pre-match meal and post-training/match snack is tailored to their needs. For elite performers, it is not simply a matter of having food available to them, but rather its refuelling and preparing for the most significant games. The nutritionist’s expertise, along with the meticulous planning and organisation of the logistic team, ensures that the team is well-prepared and taken care of both on and off the field.

Preparing for England

The pressure on the team of performance analysts is immense, especially with only a six-day turnaround before the next game. They must use their video analysis software and other tools to provide the coaches and players with insights into their performance against Scotland, as well as tactical and technical feedback. 

In 2019, the IRFU faced a significant challenge when their every present strategic analyst, Mervyn Murphy, departed. To fill the void, they promoted Vinny Hammond to Head of Analytics and Innovation, and the team became more data-focused. Hammond sits in the coaching box alongside the coaches, providing them with live match performance data and multi-camera angle clips that are available for instant review. Farrell himself is a head coach who watches the game rather than a laptop and may sometimes wishes he could be on the touchline, encouraging his players like Jurgen Klopp or Mikel Arteta.

During the game, the likes of Paul O’Connell review passages of play, and information can be radioed to the bench or to key water carriers to pass messages to the players. Half-time provides an opportunity to give information to players, and it’s not unusual for the players to watch video clips in the changing room at half-time.

By using data to identify areas for improvement, performance analysts play a key role in helping teams achieve success on the field. The coach’s review of England would have taken place on the Friday and Saturday before the Scotland game. The basics of the game plan for England would already have been planted in the coaches’ heads, and this week it would be narrowed down and presented to the players. The players would also have significant input into how they will approach England.

The team analysts aim to provide the necessary resources and support to coaches and players, allowing them to focus on their performance. By working collaboratively and seamlessly behind the scenes, they play a critical role in helping the team achieve success on the field. 

The fittest team

Playing a multi-phase game with a high ball in play (BiP) time is one of the key strengths of this Ireland team, and it requires an exceptional level of fitness from the players. Jason Cowman has been a vital figure in Irish rugby for over two decades, serving as Strength and Conditioning coach for both Leinster and Ireland. His work, along with that of Ciaran Ruddock (son of Mike Ruddock – Grand Slam winning coach with Wales 2005) and other coaches working with the players in the four provinces, is a testament to the rigorous physical preparation that the team undergoes.

The high fitness levels of this Ireland team allow them to play a multi-phase game with a high ball in play time, as was demonstrated in their match against France, which had a Ball in Play time of over 46 minutes.

The centralised system of Irish rugby has greatly aided in the physical preparation of the team, as each national player can be closely monitored by Irish S&C coaches. Working closely with the coaches and medical staff, these strength and conditioning coaches play a crucial role in preparing the players for the physical and mental demands of playing at the highest level. They are responsible for developing fitness programs, preventing and rehabilitating injuries, providing nutritional advice, monitoring player progress, and managing injuries.

Matthew Hamilton, the team’s sports scientist, uses Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking to monitor every movement of the players during training and games. This technology provides valuable insights into the player’s workload, running distances, speeds, accelerations, and decelerations, which can be used by coaches to assess the players’ fitness levels and make adjustments to their training programs. The players are monitored with almost the same level of precision as a Formula 1 car.

The high fitness levels of this Ireland team allow them to play a multi-phase game with a high ball in play time, as was demonstrated in their match against France, which had a BiP time of over 46 minutes. This is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the players and the entire team behind the scenes. The strength and conditioning coaches and sports scientists play a critical role in ensuring that the players are physically and mentally prepared for the challenges of top-level rugby, and their contributions are essential to the team’s success.

Mental game

The importance of mental preparation in rugby has become increasingly apparent in recent years, and the Ireland team is no exception. After the lessons learned from the disappointment of the 2019 World Cup, Andy Farrell has taken steps to ensure that his players are mentally equipped for the challenges they face on the field. One of the key figures in this effort is Gary Keegan, a former performance director for Sport Ireland who has been brought in as a performance coach.

While Keegan is not a sports psychologist per se, he brings a wealth of experience to the table when it comes to working with elite athletes and helping them to perform at their best.

He was heavily involved in the Dublin GAA’s era of unprecedented success under Jim Gavin, and has a deep understanding of the unique pressures that elite athletes face as he explained previously to Paul Flynn on a Currency podcast.

Keegan views himself as an “expert in performance”, and his role is to help the Ireland players to maintain their focus and mental toughness throughout the course of the championship.

The ability of this Ireland team to deal with adversity and maintain their mental focus has been a key factor in their success so far in the championship. Despite facing some tough challenges, they have continued to perform at a high level and meet the demands of each game. This resilience may be attributed to the environment that Farrell and Keegan have created, where mental preparation is given equal importance to physical training. By working closely with the players and creating a supportive, focused atmosphere, Keegan and Farrell have helped to ensure that the Ireland team is mentally prepared for any challenge they may face.

While other teams have made changes to their staff in recent months, one of the key strengths of this team is the consistency and experience of the backroom staff. A vast majority have already been involved for a number of years and tasted success and learned from failure. The world of high performance sport is an incredibly demanding and competitive field, with much at stake for players, coaches, and support staff. These individuals operate in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment, where constant change is the norm, and new technologies, training methods, and strategies are continually emerging. 

In this ever-evolving landscape, this support staff have to remain up-to-date and adaptable, ready to respond quickly to shifting circumstances. For success in this environment, the Irish staff members must have excellent communication skills and be able to work effectively with different personalities and cultures, while communicating clearly and concisely in high-pressure situations. 

In addition to these challenges, this support staff also face intense pressure to deliver results. Their expertise and support are critical to ensuring that the players have the resources and guidance they need to perform at their best.

In Irish rugby, success is a team effort, and support staff have played a vital role in that effort. While the players and coaches rightly receive the lion’s share of attention and praise, the contributions of these unsung heroes cannot be overlooked. 

The support staff have worked creatively, collaboratively, and efficiently within the highly pressured environment of international sport, maintaining a deep knowledge of the sport and its requirements. While this group of people may not kick the winning points in games their dedication and hard work are essential to achieving team success. 

It seems highly likely that Ireland will defeat this unprepared England team, whose lack of expertise may hinder their performance at this level. Although England may strive to demonstrate to their supporters that their recent loss to France was a mere anomaly, it is difficult to imagine how they can compete against Ireland, especially considering the inconsistent team selections and the reality of coming at the end of an energy-draining final match of this gruelling championship. 

In contrast, Ireland’s superior pool of players and coaching staff, including two RFU rejects and experienced backroom personnel, have provided them with a consistent selection that will enable them to secure the win. If Ireland triumphs and lifts the championship trophy on Saturday night, the “team behind the team” can be proud of a job well done.