Catt’s influence has got the Irish attack purring

MIKE Catt naturally flowed into coaching, as a lot of 10s tend to do, because they already have some background in it, having been at the hub of team talks and tactics alongside coaches during their playing careers.

Mike is now making a name for himself as Ireland‘s attack coach after joining Andy Farrell’s outfit following the 2019 World Cup. This career path started when he was a player/attack coach at London Irish, and the journey continued when he became England backs coach under Stuart Lancaster – where he first worked with Farrell – and continued when he worked alongside Conor O’Shea as Italy attack coach.

Catty won almost everything there is to win as a player as part of the England 2003 world champion side, as well as winning a Six Nations Grand Slam, and a Euro-pean Cup and multiple English titles when we were teammates at Bath.

As a player the way Mike wanted to play was very high risk, and he was incredibly expressive. He really wanted to attack all the time – but as a coach, you realise that players cannot do that all the time. However, he is a thinker, and was always intrigued in the dilemma between coaching to win, and coaching in an enjoyable way.

He has seen it from both sides now, as a coach and a world-class player, and at 50 he is now becoming a world-class coach in attack.

It was a big step up in responsibility for Catt when he joined Ireland, and because he is an English-South African there is probably a lot more scrutiny of him, and his performance, than if he was Irish.

However, he has always had the right mindset. For me, the best coaches were the ones who asked you questions, and made it a collaborative process whether you were talking off the field, or putting it into practice in training. I think Mike has that ability, and if Ireland go well over the next few years, including at 2023 World Cup, he could be looking at taking over a head coach role.

Coaching Ireland now must be a joy because of the quality of the players. There is the advantage of having a player who is a virtual coach-on-the-field like Johnny Sexton, but also having a challenger for the 10 shirt of the quality of Joey Carbery.

This Ireland side have learned a great deal about detailed moves and game plans from Joe Schmidt, and you don’t get many coaches who are more intense than that. They were also used to playing a certain way under Schmidt, with Sexton as his general, but what is impressive about the Irish now is how smooth the transition has been to playing what is in front of them.

What Catt is good at is getting players to raise their skill level, and that is an important part of the process. However, Farrell has a presence and track record that commands respect, and having worked alongside Schmidt he also understood the style of game – and the way that Catt could take it forward another step.

“What Catt is good at is getting players to raise their skill level”

You could see it in the fluidity and quality of finishing when Ireland beat New Zealand in the autumn, and although they narrowly lost a great contest against France in Paris a fortnight ago, you could see it in the way they outscored the French by three tries to two.

Catty must be like a kid in a sweet shop with the quality of the current set of Irish backs. At full-back Hugo Keenan is a bit like his French counterpart Melvyn Jaminet. The difference is that Keenan is not a goalkicker, but he is better under the high ball and has made the Irish 15 shirt his own.

What is impressive about the Irish backs is that players like Carbery, Jamison Gibson-Park, Andrew Conway, Bundee Aki and Mack Hansen is their confidence, and the time they have on the ball.

Catt will really appreciate the directness and strength of a centre like Aki, who has that ability to straighten the line every time he gets the ball. This is priceless, because of the time and space he gives everyone else in the backline, and the 10 in particular.

Garry Ringrose has been a bit hot and cold for Ireland in recent seasons, but at 27 he has found a bit of a hot streak and is keeping Robbie Henshaw out of the starting line-up.

They are all comfortable on the ball, and any attack coach would also relish having the asset of ballplaying forwards who can link, and carry like Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris and Tadgh Furlong.

This has helped Mike to adapt the attack to Ireland’s pod system pretty successfully, and against Italy in Dublin today they will have the opportunity to fine-tune everything before taking on England at Twickenham in two weeks’ time.

The Irish pods could be ranged across the field in a 1-3-3-1 pattern, with each of them providing multiple options. For example, after the first carry Gibson-Park might run himself, or have a pod of two or three forwards ready to carry, but with Sexton and the blindside wing in behind them. This means they can take it up in a front-on attack, or pass behind them to Sexton, opening up the options of skip passes or dummy runners as they move the ball wide.

Mike will be involved in the development of the whole package of variations, and where Joe Schmidt’s strategy was based on precision, and would often take the less risky option, Farrell and Catt will be saying to their players, “go for it”.

World class: Mike Catt coaching Ireland

With Schmidt, a flair player like Simon Zebo did not fit with his ideals, whereas he would fit much more with Catt’s. However, Mike has also become more pragmatic, in a good way, as a coach than he was as a player. He knows it is all about playing to win at international level, and Ireland could have beaten France.

It is a setback, but if Ireland can beat New Zealand, and give France a run for their money in Paris, they must feel they are in with a chance of winning a World Cup. It’s very rare that you hear arrogant Irish players, and overall they appear to have a good, well balanced outlook.

Ireland’s big concern has been peaking too early for World Cups, but this time, apart from having to manage Sexton carefully, they seem well set – not least because Carbery might have pushed him out of the starting line-up if he hadn’t been injured so much himself.

I would definitely start Carbery against Italy, and only give Sexton a run off the bench. But whatever side they pick at the moment, Mike Catt’s influence looks like it is paying off. Ireland look hot to trot.