Kidney keen for Ireland to fire from the off

DECLAN KIDNEY’S bid to end Ireland’s 31 years of southern discomfort has rolled on to Brisbane.

After coming up short twice across the Tasman in the wet and cold surrounds of regional New Zealand, the balmy climate of a Queensland winter has helped to keep the mood fresh and focussed.

Ireland’s coach is by no means weighed down under the disappointment of four straight defeats. All week he has cut a typically positive, upbeat figure. His impromptu decision to hold yesterday’s press call with the Irish media on exercise bikes summed up his jovial mood. Yet it doesn’t mask his sheer desperation to win.

“This is where you have to leave statistics to one side,” he said of Ireland’s losing run. “They are the facts but every time you go out is the best time to try and win a match, be it the Maoris last week or New Zealand the previous week. It’s going to happen.

“It’s gone on longer, but it’s not totally different to when we started off in the Heineken Cup and going to the south of France, when you were lucky to come away with less than a 30-point loss. That sort of happened us against New Zealand. Some time we’re going to get it right in the preparation, we just need to come down here preparing and knowing that we can win. We’ve been together a few weeks, we’ve had a little bit more time to prepare and that’s why we’re looking forward to it.”

Some may well be looking forward to it more than others. Ulster’s stand-in skipper Chris Henry wins his first cap at the Suncorp Stadium and Kidney will need every last ounce from the number eight and the two men in front of him.

While Ireland’s tight five look well equipped to deal with Australia’s injury-ravaged front quintet, it is the back row that could play the most crucial role. Against Rocky Elsom and the ferocious talent of David Pocock, Henry, Niall Ronan and Shane Jennings have a formidable task ahead of them.

Should they be able to get the upper-hand and help win clean ball for the Ireland backline, it will be game on.

Kidney was adamant however that Ireland must be switched on from the off against Robbie Deans’ smarting side.

“You break the game down so a good start is obviously very important to us. Every time a group of players come together different things happen,” he added.

“The starts have cost us in the last couple of games, and we know that we just need to start better; not be looking at the opposition so much, see can we get hold of the ball at the start and play a bit. With the way the game is now you can’t afford to be giving the ball to the opposition and just letting them run at you for ten or 20 minutes.”

There was a similar message from the Ireland captain. “Starting well is the key,” chimed Brian O’Driscoll. “And just getting a bit of consistency about our game and giving them respect but not too much respect. Definitely trying to impose our game on them is a must. It just has to be an 80-minute job.”