Are our priorities Bent out of shape?

It’s hard to believe that four years have passed since Declan Kidney was handed the poisoned chalice of having to beat Argentina to retain a top-eight IRB seeding a few weeks prior to the 2011 World Cup pool draw.

The interim period may have produced a first Grand Slam in 61 years and a famous World Cup victory over Australia but the pressure on the Cork man is far more acute now than when he took over the reins back in 2008.

While England — incredibly ranked fourth in the world at the moment — Wales and France fight it out for that crucial fourth slot prior to the World Cup draw on December 3 which would offer a cleaner passage to a semi-final, Ireland (currently ranked seventh) are scrambling to retain a top-eight slot with Scotland and Argentina posing the biggest threat.