Five Questions

Ahead of today’s squad announcement for the Autumn Internationals, Alan Good considers the key questions facing Ireland coach Declan Kidney

Q: How much is riding on this series for him?

A: How differently might we be looking at this if the agonising 22-19 defeat by New Zealand in Christchurch had come in the summer tour’s final test? Yes, it’s still a loss, but the fact that Ireland went out and were humbled 60-0 the week after puts an entirely different hue on this series. Ireland have been maddeningly inconsistent amid a slump since the 2009 Grand Slam; witness losing all four World Cup warm-ups and going out with a limp performance against Wales. The meat in that sandwich? A tactical masterclass against Australia, which was arguably the best Irish victory given it came against SANZAR opposition, in the southern hemisphere, in a big tournament. Some pundits already have the knives out for Kidney and his contract is up next year; should things go askew once more in the autumn, his fate could be taken out of his own hands.