Ref Pollock no problem for Kidney

There have been no emails this week to the respective coaches but Ireland coach Declan Kidney is confident his players can get on the same page as RBS 6 Nations debutant referee Chris Pollock at Aviva Stadium today.

New Zealander Pollock, a reserve official at last year’s Rugby World Cup in his native land, is a regular Super 15 referee who took the unusual step of emailing rival coaches Pat Lam and Todd Blackadder ahead of last month’s opener between the Blues and Crusaders at Eden Park, Auckland.

His message to them outlined his views on how he would control the match, particularly at the scrum and breakdown.