Kidney counts on clear head to find magic number

DECLAN KIDNEY, inthe company of his coaching assistants, spent most of yesterday making the final adjustments to his Rugby World Cup squad, completing a measured process that wasn’t fuelled by last-minute panic or even altogether influenced by the results of the last three weeks. Adrenaline, he said in the aftermath of the 22-26 loss to France, is for the players.

How big a weighting would recent results and performances have in terms of selection? “Well, they have a weighting in terms that we live in the now, but it’s very important after matches to let the adrenaline slow down and put all the factors into your head,” he said.

“Sometimes when you’re tied up with a game you can make decisions fuelled on pure adrenaline; whereas the players have to do that on the pitch, there’s no need for us to do it, we will take some hours, have a look at the videos and come up with the best balance.”

Although results haven’t gone the way of Ireland, Kidney highlighted the positives rather than the negatives, insisting his objectives went beyond securing the desired results.

“The objective first day was to get 30 guys match-fit [in preparation for the World Cup] so we’re well on our way to doing that; that’s why we have had those five games, we have four under our belt and have another one to go.

“The magic number is in and around two matches game time (for all players) before we get on the plane; it will be more for some guys, less for other lads though.”

He is convinced he did the right thing in organising four tough Test games (plus a further game against Connacht) in advance of the New Zealand trip, suggesting: “[Despite the results] I know there are things we did well and I know there are little chinks as well, things we can add in to [help] improve us.

“Sometimes in pre-season games, you’d play the provinces, you’d have the opposition throwing in a few and the intensity wouldn’t be there so you can work on things at a slower rate without that out-and-out intensity. But, out there, that was full-on, wasn’t it? We targeted this week to start [the game] better, to get the set piece right, and it came right.

“We need to link that up with some of the stuff we did last week. The one good thing is I know we need all these games and I’m delighted we have another one next week. I wouldn’t be afraid of it. You can organise games just to get you over the line but when it comes down to it we now know where we stand. Isn’t that much better before we travel?

“There are an awful lot of things going the way we needed them to go, so there are things to be gained out of it. I know that. I wouldn’t be all doom and gloom about the whole thing. We have a plan there. We’ll always be big enough to look at the plan every week and make slight adjustments to it. But other than the results, which seems like a ridiculous statement, we’re on course!”

Once the squad is announced today, Kidney believes the 30 chosen ones will be able to focus far better on Saturday’s clash with England in Dublin.

“Yeah, it will allow them to focus that bit more; it is a difficult situation if you’re in a squad of 44 players because the guys wouldn’t know whether they’re in or out. But we had to build that, and you could see the benefits, when David Wallace went out [injured], Jenno [Shane Jennings] slotted seamlessly in and Niall Ronan did the same thing.”

One thing Kidney is not looking forward to is breaking the news to those who will lose out. “It’s those guys who are [probably] the most important in this [equation] because we have had 44 players who fed [and bought] into it. Unfortunately, some of them have to lose out.”

Meanwhile, Ireland skipper Brian O’Driscoll expressed disappointment at the concession of France’s opening try down the midfield channel. O’Driscoll suffered a rare embarrassing moment when the defence was skinned by Aurelien Rougerie, who created the gap for Cedric Heymans.

O’Driscoll recalled: “He went between myself and Darce [Gordon D’Arcy]; we’ll look back and wonder whether he should have been my man but, again, he could have passed out[side] and we could have been in trouble that way; I don’t know what happened inside because I was looking out, so again it’s one of those things we have to look back on and figure out — Rougerie is a pretty good player who identifies gaps and holes and he exploited us. No defence is infallible; unfortunately that was a disappointing one to give up and at an important time of the game. It really kick-started them.”