Pointing to the future

If tomorrow evening’s game with Fiji were a Test match, with world ranking points up for grabs, it is unlikely Declan Kidney would have been so tempted to experiment.

Three uncapped players, six more with less than 10 caps apiece and an average age of just under 25.5 points to a team assembled out of necessity given the injuries currently blighting Ireland’s senior squad members and this fixture’s position between two heavyweight Test matches seven days either side.

A gruelling, physical battle with South Africa last Saturday evening and the upcoming showdown with the abrasive Argentinians a week hence means those involved in the former had to be rested this weekend. The non-cap status of the Fiji clash allows Kidney some degree of latitude in sending out an inexperienced XV, albeit with the insurance of some rock-solid, tried and tested internationals lying in wait on the replacements bench should it get tough.