SIMON LEWIS: Kidney believes time on his side at last

Declan Kidney believes an early start to Ireland’s RBS 6 Nations preparations means his players can hit the ground running in Cardiff in nine days for the opening game against Wales.

When Ireland signed off on 2012 with a seven-try victory over Argentina, head coach Kidney spoke of the need for a fast start to the five-game competition, which begins on February 2 at the Millennium Stadium.

His side have been notoriously slow starters in recent years, surviving a scare in Rome against Italy in 2011 and then losing to the Welsh at the Aviva Stadium a year ago.