Kidney delays revealing captain

Declan Kidney revealed the identity of the Irish captain for the November Series to his squad at Carton House yesterday but it will be tomorrow before he divulges ownership of the armband and his starting XV to the general public.

With Paul O’Connell’s back coming through two days of full training apparently unscathed, it would be something of a shock if the Munster lock was not handed the honour against South Africa on Saturday in the absence of Brian O’Driscoll.

Kidney spoke last week of how it could be too much of an encumbrance on a man still feeling his way back to fitness after another layoff but it would make sense to lean on O’Connell and make lieutenants of Jonathan Sexton and Jamie Heaslip.