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Declan Kidney has revealed he began the process to increase the depth of the leadership group within the Irish rugby squad a year ago in anticipation of what has happened this week, with Brian O’Driscoll and Rory Best both being ruled out of the November internationals through injury.

The age profile of O’Driscoll, Best, Paul O’Connell and Ronan O’Gara prompted the head coach to freshen up that aspect of the squad but with a strong possibility that none of the quartet will be on the field against South Africa tomorrow week, it will be interesting to see who stands up. Barring injury, Gordon D’Arcy islikely to be the most experienced member of the team that takes on the Springboks and as he sat next to Kidney at yesterday’s press briefing in Carton House, one wondered if he was likely to succeed his long-time centre partner O’Driscoll as skipper if O’Connell doesn’t recover from a back injury. Whatever happens in the short term, the likes of Jamie Heaslip, Cian Healy, Keith Earls and Jonathan Sexton are being groomed.

“We’ve been doing that since six, 12 months ago” said Kidney. “That was always going to come around so it would have been wrong to wait until it had to happen. “There’s a crop ofplayers there… it wouldn’t take arocket scientist to work it out, they’ve been around a bit. There’s about a half-dozen, eight fellas we’re working on and bringing through.”