The Ospreys’ derby clash against Cardiff Blues as one half of Judgement Day will offer a chance for revenge for last season as well as an early judgement on the work of Allen Clarke. Graham Thomas looks at the Ospreys’ new permanent head coach, his signing of George North, and the course they have set as they bid to recover their status as Wales’ top region.
The first striking thing about Allen Clarke – newly confirmed as the Ospreys’ permanent head coach – is his size, or lack of.
The record books listed him as on the small side of the scales when it comes to hookers who played international rugby, with a fighting weight of only 14 stones, packed into a 5ft 9in frame.
At 50, he looks more like a former Irish scrum-half than a front rower, but with a wiry frame and lean shape that suggests he could still do a decent job if the Ospreys run into an injury crisis at half-back next season.
Clarke was given the title of head coach in succession to Steve Tandy, on the basis of a turnaround in results since taking over in January. As relevant to the region’s board of directors was the impression he has made on the Ospreys’ senior international players, such as Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric and the departing Dan Biggar.
This weekend, he takes charge of his first big Welsh derby against Cardiff Blues as part of the Judgement Day double-headers at the Principality Stadium, where the Ospreys are seeking revenge for last year’s thrashing, which signaled a shifting of power between the city regions.
Clarke sprinkles his conversation with much of the modern day coach-speak – about “environments” and “cultures” but there is something about his measured delivery and clear-sightedness that makes it easy to understand why the former Ulster forwards coach, ex-Ireland U20 coach and IRFU high performance director has made such a favourable impression at the Liberty Stadium.
“If there is an impatience here, then that is healthy,” he says when asked how quickly the Ospreys want to return to being top dogs in Wales.
“I would imagine that someone like Alun Wyn Jones, who has experienced the successes with the Ospreys, is desperate for more of that success, given what stage of his career he is in.
“I want that, too. I want that desperation. Kieron Fonotia called it being ‘desperate to be desperate’. But it means making good decisions, good lifestyle decisions, and being as professional as you can be.
“We want that ambition, but we recognise that it’s not about a one-off game or performance. It’s about consistency and your preparation to perform. We need to deliver on a weekly basis.”
To further that aim next season, the Opsreys have signed George North from Northampton. The Wales wing could have gone to the Cardiff Blues, but uncertainty over their coaching set-up made the Ospreys a more attractive option.
When North began his negotiations with both regions at the close of the Six Nations, neither had confirmed who would head up their coaching teams next, but the Ospreys were able to give more clues even if it was the Blues under the departing Danny Wilson whose results have caught the eye.
Clarke has already compared North to Cristiano Ronaldo – in the sense of athleticism, rather than achievement – and believes the signing of the former Scarlets star sends out a clear message to others.
“It’s a reflection of where I and the board see the Ospreys in the future and where players on the outside see the Ospreys in the future.
“It’s about creating an environment for players as individuals and for the team to flourish, and to play a brand of rugby that is entertaining, for the players as well as for the supporters.
“By signing George North, you get kudos, expectation, and a world class rugby player. You also get an indigenous player of Wales, who is very famous in this region and will inspire others in the future.
“He will give everybody a lift in terms of what he is and what he has done. He is coming with a lot of ambition as he’s still only 26 years of age. It’s going to be absolutely fantastic to have him here.
“Ironically, when I was working in the Irish system I saw George when he was 18 years of age, playing against Ireland U18s. He made a big impression.
“To me, he is now coming into his prime – in terms of his game understanding and his athletic prowess. You blend the two and you get someone like a Cristiano Ronaldo. I’m not saying George is of that stature in rugby yet, but he still is blossoming as a rugby player and will be for another three or four years.
“He is coming here with ambition to improve, not to stagnate. Through that improvement, Welsh rugby will benefit.”
In the past few seasons, North’s problems with repeated concussion injuries have placed doubts and fears over his long-term future. Clarke is not promising to end those, but he suggests the Ospreys – working through a WRU dual contract – might offer a kinder setting than the harsher club treadmill for ‘overseas’ players in the Aviva Premiership.
“I have worked with players at other professional teams who have had their concussion issues. Sometimes, it’s bad fortune and at other times it can be a technical issue.
“That will be what it will be. I can’t predict that. What I can guarantee is that the environment here will look after him as an individual and do what is best for George North.”
Whatever the outcome against the Blues, Clarke of optimistic about the Ospreys future. If he has a template, though, a model to aim at, then it is not found in Wales, but across the Irish Sea.
Leinster’s re-emergence at European level this season – forcefully displayed in their dominant victory over the Scarlets last week in the Champions Cup semi-final – is Clarke’s yardstick for a team that could still complete a European and Pro14 double.
“We have Scott Williams coming here, Aled Davies, also, so we have recruited well. We have young players coming through. We don’t speak about what we don’t have. We would rather have expectation about what we do have. That keeps us stronger and keeps us driven.
“But Leinster is a very good example of almost the total package. They have a resource pool of feeder schools and clubs into the professional ranks.
“Within that squad, they have multiple international choices in each position. They have nine international front rowers, three of four second row internationals, six or seven back row internationals, a couple of nines, three tens, five or six midfield players and then six or seven back three internationals.
“It’s a squad that is the envy of not just every team in Europe, but most in world rugby, I would suggest.
“We have got a top group of 30 players who can compete with anybody on a given day. But it is building strength in depth and providing opportunities for players underneath.
“They need to gain experience and confidence so that they move from being a good player to being an elite player. Leinster have that in abundance.”