O’Brien launches spirited defence of coach Kidney

Sean O’Brien insists that Declan Kidney and his Ireland management team remain the best men for the job of driving the national 15 forward despite last Saturday’s record 60-0 defeat to New Zealand in the third Test.

That loss superseded the previous low point against the reigning world champions — a 53-point hammering in Wellington 20 years before — and marked the first time since 1924 that an Irish side had failed to score against the men in black.

The loss brought to an end a tour which saw Kidney’s side score just 29 points while conceding 124 and marked the end of the third season since the 2009 Grand Slam where the Ireland side has failed to hit its straps.