Who is Ireland's greatest ever rugby coach?

Sport
1
  • Ronnie Dawson
  • Tom Kiernan
  • Mick Doyle
  • Ciaran Fitzgerald
  • Warren Gatland
  • Eddie O’Sullivan
  • Declan Kidney
  • Joe Schmidt

0 voters

The candidates:

Ronnie Dawson:
Won the Grand Slam in 1972 (2 wins from 2)

Tom Kiernan:
Won a first Triple Crown for 33 years in 1982

Mick Doyle:
Triple Crown winner 1985
His teams played a literally heartstopping brand of rugby
Pundit extraordinaire

Ciaran Fitzgerald:
Coach of the heroes of 1991, who reached a World Cup quarter-final and weren’t humiliated
The only Ireland coach to lose a World Cup knockout match to a team which went on to win its next match
Never won a Five Nations match

Warren Gatland:
Innovative - invented the 14 man lineout
Beat France in Paris for the first time in 28 years
Beat Scotland for the first time anywhere in 12 years
Denied England the Grand Slam and went close to beating New Zealand
Unceremoniously sacked

Eddie O’Sullivan:
Beat World Champions England at Twickenham for the first time in 10 years
Beat Australia and South Africa in prestigious test matches
Got John Hayes to mark Vincent Clerc
Beat Georgia and Namibia at a World Cup
Reached one World Cup quarter final out of a possible two

Declan Kidney:
Won the Grand Slam for the first time in 61 years
Beat Australia at a World Cup
Lost a World Cup quarter final by less than three scores
Lost to Italy

Joe Schmidt:
Won a Grand Slam and two other Six Nations championships
Won a test series in Australia
Attained an impressive 2-1 test series loss in South Africa
Beat New Zealand twice
Took Irish rugby to a new level, with an average World Cup quarter-final loss margin of 27.5 points

1 Like
2

Murray Kidd should be in there.

3

No Jimmy Davidson?

2 Likes
4

Geoff Moylan

1 Like
5

Doyler

2 Likes
6

Speaking of Shannon, see the whatapps from the dressing room yesteday

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1 Like
7

:smile:

8

. Surely grand slam winning coach Adam Griggs should feature.

9

I have no recollection of Ireland losing to Italy under Kidney. Was it a Six Nations game?

10

Yes. 2013. Italy beat France as well. Ireland beat Wales in Cardiff first up and won no other game

1 Like
11

Mark McCall is the greatest Irish coach of modern era imo.

1 Like
12

Ciaran Fitzgerald lost a test series to Namibia

13

Gatty is the only one of the seven Irish coaches to go to a World Cup who failed to get Ireland to a quarter final.

Gerry Murphy is missing.

14

Eddie ??

15

Eddie O’Sullivan coached Ireland to a World Cup quarter final in 2003. Doyler, Ciaran Fitzgerald, Gerry Murphy, Declan Kidney and Joe Schmidt all got Ireland to a quarter final as well.

Gatty is the odd man out.

1 Like
16

I think Jimmy had an outstanding record as manager of Ulster in the old inter pro competition

17

Disappointed that Murray Kidd and Brian Ashton did not make the list @Sidney

18

Presided over two memorable wins over England in '93 and '94

Mick Doyle’s columns about himself and Noel “Noisy” Murphy were box office

19

Both beat Wales

And that was as good as it got

Actually I think Ireland scored thir first try in Paris for many years under Kidd

A late consolation penalty try in a 40 odd points defeat

So perhaps that’s his finest moment

That and picking Chris Saverimutto

20

Murray Kidd will always have the honour of presiding over the last Ireland try scored at Parc de Princes in 1996, when Penalty Try snatched that particular honour of Freddie McLennan. That 1996 match also noteworthy for the bit of bother Peter Clohessy got into with Olivier Roumant.