{"id":297512,"date":"2026-02-14T09:35:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-14T09:35:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/297512\/"},"modified":"2026-02-14T09:35:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T09:35:11","slug":"irelands-rugby-players-need-to-run-better-and-its-never-too-late-to-learn-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/297512\/","title":{"rendered":"Ireland\u2019s rugby players need to run better. And it\u2019s never too late to learn \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the last night of athletics at the Paris Olympics<\/a>, the hopes of a nation rested on the young shoulders of Cyr\u00e9na Samba-Mayela. As Olympic hosts, France<\/a> had yet to win a single medal on the track or field, and only Samba-Mayela could save their blushes.<\/p>\n

For all those inside the packed Stade de France it appeared a formidable task. The 100m hurdles is a flat-out sprint with 10 barriers in the way, leaving zero room for error. At 23, and starting in lane one, Samba-Mayela was the centre of attention \u2013 with nowhere to hide.<\/p>\n

Exactly 12.34 seconds later she dipped for the line to take the silver medal, a mere .01 away from Olympic gold, won by Masai Russell from the US. Defending champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn from Puerto Rico was third in 12.36. Under intense pressure Samba-Mayela kept her head and perfectly relaxed stride.<\/p>\n

Unquestionably the best women\u2019s sprint hurdlers in the world, both Samba-Mayela and Camacho-Quinn are coached by John Coghlan<\/a>, which means the Dubliner now has the full set of Olympic medals, in the same sprint event, on his coaching r\u00e9sum\u00e9.<\/p>\n

Samba-Mayela had approached Coghlan a year out from Paris, realising her speed between hurdles was letting her down. With that she stepped out of her comfort zone and moved to Coghlan\u2019s training group in Orlando, and the rest is French Olympic history. Coghlan broke down much of her sprinting technique, then built it back up again. So much of that pure speed may rely on natural talent, but there are some parts that can always be learned all over again.<\/p>\n

\"MasaiMasai Russell (second left) won the gold medal ahead of Cyrena Samba-Mayela in the women’s 100m hurdles at the Paris Olympics. Photograph: Patrick Smith\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Fast forward 17 months and all those inside the Stade de France \u2013 and beyond \u2013 witnessed a similar display of French sprinting ability. Much of the comment among the rugby analysts was that Ireland\u2019s 36-14 defeat<\/a> in their opening Six Nations<\/a> came down to their number of missed tackles, losing the aerial battles, their overly rigid structure compared to France, etc.<\/p>\n

It looked to me like too many of the Irish players were simply caught for speed. The warning signs came early once Th\u00e9o Attissogbe and Louis Bielle-Biarrey started testing their stride on the wings, and no one looked surprised when Bielle-Biarrey sprinted down the left touchline for his opening try after 13 minutes.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0John Coghlan: \u2018There\u2019s other talent as good, maybe even better, than Rhasidat Adeleke in Ireland\u2019Opens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

When he received the ball there were three Irish players within reach. Sam Prendergast<\/a> did well with his tap tackle, but he was already too far behind, and Jacob Stockdale<\/a> was simply too late. Under intense pressure Bielle-Biarrey also kept his head and perfectly relaxed stride, all while displaying the key components of proper sprinting style: slight forward lean, running with the legs, not on them.<\/p>\n

Too often the Irish players were running upright and stiff in comparison. There was further evidence with Bielle-Biarrey\u2019s second try after 47 minutes, when Thomas Ramos beat Tommy O\u2019Brien<\/a>, flykicking the ball forward for Bielle-Biarrey, who easily outsprinted Jamie Osborne<\/a>. Prendergast also chased in late from the right, entirely in vain. Not just running on their legs, but legs half stuck to the ground.<\/p>\n

Afterwards one French supporter on X posted the clip<\/a> of Norway\u2019s Olympic cross-country skier Johannes Kl\u00e6bo, charging frantically uphill, under the caption \u201cSam Prendergast \u00e0 la poursuite de Bielle-Biarrey\u201d.<\/p>\n

A tad unfair, perhaps, considering at age 22 Bielle-Biarrey is already considered the fastest man in world rugby. Although he\u2019s not yet the finished article: he can still add more rhythm to his start, and he also swings his legs a bit too much.<\/p>\n

At least that\u2019s what he was told by French sprinting great Christophe Lemaitre, still the fastest white man in the world. They raced each other in a 50m challenge set up by French TV channel Canal+, two weeks before the start of the Six Nations, and Bielle-Biarrey\u2019s astonishing turn of speed was plain to see.<\/p>\n

Okay, Lemaitre hasn\u2019t raced in over a year, the 35-year-old retiring in 2024 after missing out on the Paris Olympics. He\u2019s still a serious speed merchant, a revelation in French sprinting since first bursting on to the scene at age 20, winning three gold medals at the 2010 European Championships.<\/p>\n

In 2011, Lemaitre became the first white athlete to break the 10-second barrier in the 100m, running 9.98, before improving that to 9.92. He\u2019s also got two Olympic medals, and still Bielle-Biarrey smoked him, hitting a rapid 38.5km\/h, delighting his Bordeaux B\u00e8gles team-mates in the process.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s doing well,\u201d said Lemaitre. \u201cEspecially as he has roughly an identical build, and he\u2019s able to generate speed in a very short space of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

UNE RENCONTRE DE CHAMPIONS \u2b50\ufe0f<\/p>\n

Christophe Lemaitre, l\u00e9gende de l\u2019athl\u00e9tisme fran\u00e7ais, est all\u00e9 \u00e0 la rencontre de Louis Bielle-Biarrey pour partager ses conseils de course \ud83d\ude80<\/p>\n

Le sujet est disponible en int\u00e9gralit\u00e9 sur l\u2019appli @canalplus<\/a> \ud83d\udcfa pic.twitter.com\/brEOJ074GA<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 CANAL+ Rugby (@CanalplusRugby) January 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Andy Farrell<\/a> is perfectly aware of all this, and when the Ireland head coach spoke about \u201clack of intent\u201d after the French loss, he might well have meant lack of speed too. Either way, he\u2019s dropped O\u2019Brien and Stockdale for Saturday\u2019s match against Italy, bringing back James Lowe<\/a>, and reintroducing Robert Baloucoune<\/a>, who is already considered one of the fastest men in Irish rugby.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Conor Murray: Here\u2019s why the obituaries for Irish rugby are prematureOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

Baloucoune proved that with his startling try from the halfway line on his Ireland debut against the USA back in 2021, although he\u2019s also a reminder that speed will only get you so far. \u201cEveryone loves a bit of pace within the side, but it\u2019s been a bit stop-start for him,\u201d Farrell said on Thursday. \u201cHe just needs an opportunity like this to try and do it on the big stage again.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sooner Hugo Keenan<\/a> gets back the better. Keenan has spoken before about his joy of juggling rugby with athletics throughout his schooldays, although older brother Robert was the star athlete in the family \u2013 and is still the Blackrock College 100m record holder.<\/p>\n

Indeed, Irish players being caught for speed may be a more deep-rooted problem, given, in many cases, the increasingly early specialisation of schoolboy rugby players in this country. Not always the best way of progressing any natural speed.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Gordon D\u2019Arcy: I\u2019m torn between encouragement and serious concern for the Irish rugby teamOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

There is ample sprinting expertise in this country, and even if the likes of John Coghlan had to move abroad to best ply their trade, it might be time to develop more of a crossover into Irish rugby. Because it\u2019s never too soon or too late to start learning how to sprint all over again.<\/p>\n