Fighting Irish back on track

IRELAND coach Declan Kidney had many reasons to be happy with developments at Twickenham but none more so than his own performance.

He would never allude to his contribution but the fact is that he masterminded this latest victory in his own inimitable manner, receiving a wonderful response from the players who had struggled so badly a fortnight earlier in Paris.

A second successive defeat would have sounded the warning bells for several of the older members of the side and it could also led them back down on to the slippery slope to mediocrity. But Kidney put the plan in place, the players reacted and it turned into another memorable day for the Irish at Twickenham.