RUGBY:IT SEEMS fairly safe to assume that Declan Kidney is not one of those coaches who would have sprung from his bed in Carton House yesterday, pulled his curtains to a bright sunny morning, opened the windows and declared to startled golfers going by: "Yippee, it's press conference day."

Arriving in the most numerously and eagerly attended conference of the month thus far, he noted the phalanx of microphones awaiting him at the top table, the full room and the battery of cameras at the rear, and raised his eyebrows in mild surprise.

This would have topped off perhaps the least enjoyable weekend of his long and distinguished coaching career. He still looked visibly upset, primarily because he knew he wouldn’t have been half as upset as some of the 14 players whom he decided would not make the cut, not least Tomás O’Leary and Luke Fitzgerald, who missed out to provincial team-mates Conor Murray and Fergus McFadden, and such long-standing stalwarts of his as Peter Stringer, Marcus Horan and John Hayes.

Kidney had endeavoured to keep players “informed” in the build up to last Thursday’s encounter between Ireland and Connacht, and Saturday’s defeat to France. “What you didn’t want to be doing was emailing 14 fellas yesterday morning to say thanks but no thanks, because that’s the crudest way. Like I say, there’s no right way to give out bad news but I just tried to keep them updated as best I could as the time went through.”

This appears to have resulted in return calls to Conor Murray and Geordan Murphy on Sunday to inform them they were included after all. But it also meant that he was able to speak to all 14 of those omitted face to face, and in one case by phone. When asked if the events of Saturday had prompted a change of mind, which it assuredly did at scrumhalf, he answered: “I wouldn’t go into any one player, we said at the start that we would take a look at the players and look at where fellas are coming from.

“In Tomás’s case, he hasn’t had a whole lot of rugby over the last eight months and I think he is very unfortunate to lose out. I think everyone knows how much I think of him but there’s Peter Stringer there too but then the highest compliment you can give to guys is to pick them so the other three must be doing alright.

“My job is to keep an eye on training too but there’s a lot of difference between training and matches, I understand that, but you have to give cognisance to that (training) as well too because it’s what you practise that you bring into the session. I can’t compliment the three lads more than what I’ve done in picking them.”

Regarding Fitzgerald’s omission, Kidney said: “Luke is very unlucky not to be going on this trip and I know he can play in quite a number of different positions, but within the squad we have a number of guys who can do that as well too.”

Murray’s inclusion prompted O’Driscoll to recall his own experience of being named in the squad for the 1999 World Cup after winning just three caps. He revealed that the 22-year-old is “quite a quiet guy, probably more comfortable with guys that he knows but it’s going to be case of, over the next few weeks, him coming out of his shell a little bit. A nine needs to dominate things and I don’t think he’s afraid to do that on the pitch, he’ll boss people around and I’m looking forward to being out training and build a bit more of a bond with him.”

At the other end of the scale O’Driscoll talked of Murphy’s experience and leadership as well as abilities, adding: “One thing you get with Geordie is a particular standard. I’ve said in the past, he’s an incredibly skilful player, probably one of the most skilful players I’ve ever played with.”

Amid the hard-luck tales, and aside from Murphy and Murray, there are also some feel-good stories, not least those of Stephen Ferris and Jerry Flannery, in recovering from long-term injuries to make the cut.

“The lonely times are now worth it for him in trying to come through,” said Kidney of Flannery. “I can’t imagine the stuff he’s been through but I phoned him when he had setbacks and I think sports people in general, not just rugby players, but the ones who go through that and come out the other side, their mental resolve and strength of character to get there must be enormous to do that because some of them have gone through things that I’m not sure I would have had the courage to stay with it. I’d like to think I would but none of us will ever know.”

The likelihood is that some of those most in need of game time, such as Tommy Bowe, the returning centres, and David Wallace, will start next Saturday against England, though both fullbacks need game time while the management may well take the same kind of softly-softly approach with Stephen Ferris that they’ve done with Flannery thus far.

“I must have a discussion with the medics as regards the few bangs and knocks we picked up the last day,” said Kidney. “I think Seán O’Brien got a bit of a bang on the knee but it looks like Tommy could go training, it looks like Wally’s back in too and Rob as well then too. I’ll know more once we’re finished here.”

And he couldn’t wait to be finished here.