Kidney has little margin for error

THE autumn internationals, or the Guinness Series as they have become known in Ireland, had become a bit of a damp squib in recent seasons with nothing tangible at stake but pride.

In common with the summer sojourns undertaken by their typically understrength northern hemisphere counterparts, these tours are generally an exercise in fulfilling fixtures in order to bolster the coffers of the host nations, which in turn fuels the survival of the professional game.

This year is slightly different.