By Roonaldo
May 20 2003

"Who dares wins"
By Roonaldo
This close season has seen the departure of many well-established stars. Freshwater and Garforth have deservedly received rousing send-offs, but one linchpin of the side is making a quiet departure.
While Rod Kafer may not have served the Tigers for quite the duration Garforth has, he has had a great impact on the club. The portly Aussie had a tough task stepping into the boots of his rotund compatriot Pat Howard. But he has come in and has had a huge impact on the club, albeit in a different manner to Howard.
Yet Kafer is leaving without any sign of a fanfare. At the London Irish game Freshwater and Garforth were thanked prior to the game, Kafer was ignored as he watched Stimpson practice his kicking. Perhaps this is because he is making the short journey to Watford; perhaps it is because he is leaving after the most disappointing season in recent memory. Yet Kafer is departing under something of a cloud, with many choosing to make him the scapegoat they long for.
The backs have failed to function on numerous occasions this season, but to solely blame Kafer for this would be tantamount to holding the cameraman responsible for "Noels House Party"! The coach can only do so much, while he has responsibility to have his players well-drilled he cannot be held accountable for so many of them underperforming.
Kafer has also been robbed of the services of Austin Healey this season. Healey is the heartbeat of the three-quarters; he sets the tempo, accepts responsibility, and takes the pressure off Geordan Murphy. Pat Howard is lauded for his efforts as coach of the backs, yet he was equally reliant on Healey producing a touch of magic to dig the team out of a hole.
The job of a backs coach has become increasingly hard as defensive coaches have become more proficient. The days when it was Wasps and Leicester who were far more miserly than their opponents are long gone. In such a situation the importance of possessing the likes of Healey or Murphy on top form is imperative, yet you could have a backline possessing Carlos Spencer, Brian O'Driscoll, and Jason Robinson and still struggle if the ball you get is poor. The injury-plagued pack has not had the traditional supremacy this season, and that has had a huge impact of the adeptness of the backs.
I don't go to training (my physique may allude to that fact) so I don't know the differences between the influence of Stransky, Howard, and Kafer. But Kafer has had to coach a side that realises the need to change and adapt. He has had to content with many factors that Howard in particular never had to contend with. Howard coached a side with its core coming to the peak of their powers, Kafer has had to contend with them being on the wane.
Kafer played a crucial role in helping the side towards the unique feat of back to back European triumphs. It's a shame that he is leaving after a disappointing season, but he has been a fantastic player for the Tigers. I'm sure he will look back with great fondness on his days at Welford Road and the game at the Millennium Stadium as he is dodging a remote control car while fez wearing men do their impressions of Ozzy Osbourne.