Testing times begin for Kidney

DECLAN KIDNEY has called an end to his Ireland squad-building in time to test the quality of his player pool in the upcoming RBS 6 Nations Championship.

After spending two years assembling an extended group of men he can trust to take Ireland into September’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, the current crop of injuries to senior squad members such as Jerry Flannery, John Hayes, Jamie Heaslip, Shane Horgan, Rob Kearney, Geordan Murphy and, possibly, Tommy Bowe means Kidney will see just how deep his playing strength goes during the next six weeks.

With Ireland’s Six Nations opener against Italy in Rome eight days away, the national team coach confirmed yesterday during the tournament’s launch in London that he will choose his World Cup squad from the players on duty for the next two months.

“I wouldn’t say this is about squad-building, what we’re doing now,” Kidney said. “This is about the squad that’s there being tested. That’s what we’re doing.

“I already have that 50 players and I would have a pecking order. But you’d still be open minded about it because you’d give fellas the chance to play their way into the team.

“So all we’re doing is picking from the squad that we already have. That’s done and dusted now.

Kidney pointed to the rapid rise of Leinster fly-half Jonathan Sexton as a possible exception on his World Cup casting moratorium but implied any late additions would be extremely unlikely.

“You never say never. There’s a few sprogs who’ve been going well but I wouldn’t like to prompt them too much. “Let’s see how they go over the coming weeks. Sometimes fellas get an opportunity to make it, sometimes they get in because of injuries and some of the lads that are in now are in because of injuries.

“Let’s say a few years ago, Jonathan Sexton was subbing away with Leinster, Felipe got injured and he took his chance and he’s done really well since then. So you never know. You just need to stay open minded with it and see how they go and also how the senior guys are going.

“I believe you need a balance in the team. You need the experience and then you need a few younger guys as well to bring that enthusiasm to it. The great thing about younger fellas is they’ve no baggage. They just come in and play but when the going gets tight there’s nothing like having a bit of experience around. Having the balance of that mixture is what I’ve learned has worked best.

With the Irish management receiving negative news on the results of a scan on Bowe’s knee last night and Flannery, Hayes, Heaslip, Horgan and Andrew Trimble all definitely out of contention for February 5 in Rome and probably for the following week’s home fixture against France, there is plenty of opportunity for promotion from within the existing group.

Kidney will watch the Irish Wolfhounds play Scotland A at Netherdale, near Glasgow, tomorrow night where a number of players will be auditioning for a Test start the following week.

Kidney, unaware at that stage Bowe would fail a fitness test, admitted that losing his top try scorer over three seasons as Ireland coach and an ever present in Six Nations Championships since 2008, would be a big hole to fill, but refused to be downbeat.

“You don’t lose guys of that ilk without it having some effect on the team but then it’s so important to remain positive.

“If we’ve to do without Tommy for a bit, maybe this was going to be a bad series for Tommy, some other guy can come in and spring a few surprises.

“Maybe there wouldn’t be as much analysis done on him and space was getting tighter for Tommy over the last six months.

“Maybe someone can come in and open that up, freshen Tommy up and see what way he comes back if he is taken from us.”