Wicked whisper spurs on Trimble

Andrew Trimble knew when Declan Kidney hadn’t pulled him aside for a quiet word on Tuesday he stood a better-than-evens chance of being named on the wing to face Wales.

A whisper in the ear at the start of match week has invariably meant disappointment for Kidney’s players and the Ulster back has been afforded far too many private sessions for his liking.

With Brian O’Driscoll absent until the summer and Keith Earls being seconded from out wide to fill the considerable gap, it was all but inevitable that the 27-year-old’s considerable candidacy would be impossible to ignore.