Pragmatic Kidney respecting Welsh threat

WITH trips to Paris and London in the rear-view mirror, the temptation is to think that Ireland have faced the worst this Six Nations has to offer, but Declan Kidney yesterday sounded warnings that recalled the Ides of March.

Seated as he was at an elevated top table amidst the opulence of the Drawing Room in Carton House, the Irish coach might have been surrounded by the trappings of a modern-day Caesar but he has never acted like one.

Despite that heavy defeat to France, Irish fans will hope that England can do them a favour in the weeks to come. Even if the championship proves beyond them, there will still be a Triple Crown to target.