His success as a coach has come from his sides being very structured and very well drilled. Ireland under him - each player knew their role
I think that may suit our lower talent/ability team, but it won't be pretty and it will take patience, from the players, coaches, management and supporters
Expect to see certain ex players bitch about the limitations placed on the team
Joe is a coach that I have not followed closely, but FP that is exactly how I remember Ireland under him. Highly stuctured, hold possession, never risk the ball, keep grinding, frustrate the opposition, long phases doing little, structured, grinding, boring.
Win. (That one word is all we need.)
Is it how Joe has always coached or was it what he saw with the cattle in Ireland? Ideally I'd like a coach who effectively adapts to the available talent. Often I see New Zealand coaches as highly effective - especially where they have boundless talent available to follow pre-determined game ideals. They can fall short in Australia because we don't have NZ depths.
I've got no idea where Joe's ability is placed in terms of style and available talent. But even if he was to determine that we have creative highlights, right now (IMO) a relentless, structured "do your bloody job" game with bludgeonly boring, repetitive patterns could be EXACTLY what we need. For now. Jezus may be a couple of seasons.
On another note, "the only way is up" fraternity and "this should make the Bled interesting" cohort - for Christ's sake. Let's start with a team performance that is not embarrassing, and in time a win. In time and any win. A win against Fiji, who are barely ranked below us, by a convincingly structured, "bore the pants off them" rugby - well that would suit very well for now.