Declan Kidney - A job very well done

Declan Kidney, Ireland’s most successful rugby coach, was fired by the IRFU yesterday.

Just like some of the wonderful players he worked with over nearly a quarter of a century Kidney has discovered that time and the relentless pressure of professional sport are merciless.

Kidney, along with a handful of other coaches with an exceptional generation of players at their disposal, was central to the popularisation of the game, especially in Munster were he was a pivotal figure during a decade of wonderful, groundbreaking achievement.

Though enigmatic and sometimes frustratingly evasive, Kidney put great emphasis on simple, eternal truths in his work — honest self-appraisal and respect for others.

He can leave the national job knowing that over his long career he won the respect and admiration of rugby and sports fans right across this island and further afield.