Kidney calls for effort to be ‘tempered’

IRELAND can at least put one annoying statistic to bed this afternoon by ending a run of four Test-match defeats with victory over Samoa at the Aviva Stadium (2.30pm). More pertinent will be the manner in which they achieve that objective.

There have been six defeats in succession since Declan Kidney’s men last tasted success on March 13, with a Croke Park victory over Six Nations rivals Wales.

Test defeats to Scotland, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa as well as losses to the Barbarians and New Zealand Maori have followed with last Saturday night’s 23-21 reverse to the Springboks as stinging as that Six Nations loss to the Scots was last March.