Wht are we going to do about Deccie?

Is it time for Kidney to fall on his sword?
Should the IRFU bite the bullet and remove him?

This may sound a bit knee-jerkish after the pasting on Saturday but it's not.
In spite of a great track record with Munster and the U20s Kidney has done nothing, or very little, to bring Ireland forward since the Grand Slam.
Great teams in any sport you care to mention do not rest on their laurels after success, they chop and change and prepare for the future.
The All Blacks will not stick with the XV who won the World Cup, they'll pick on form and those who do not perform will be replaced.

Look at our side at the moment. 12 of the side who played Wales in the Grand Slam decider, injury aside, are still regulars (Wales, I think, have 6 from the same game). Some of them, of course, should be but others are still living on reputation and Kidney's admirable but misplaced loyalty.
Kearney, Bowe, O'Driscoll, Heaslip, Ferris, O'Connell and Best should still be there. O'Driscoll and O'Connell are getting on a bit but are still performing and are great leaders.
Heaslip is still a top Number 8 but has been well off the boil this season and should not have kept his place for the last couple of games. O'Brien should surely have played in his stead with O'Mahony at 7.
Donncha O'Callaghan has been a great servant and his partnership with O'Connell was close to the best in the world a few years ago but the years are catching up on him and I feel Ryan should have been in the team from the out with O'Callaghan allowed to concentrate on prolonging his Munster career. Why was McCarthy called into the squad on O'Connell's withdrawal and put straight onto the bench? Already 30 and never really on the radar (has he not mostly played back row?) one wonder’s at the value of bringing him in and promoting him over the head of Dan Tuohy. Would someone younger, Toner for example, have been a better long term option to bring back into the fold?
There is nothing he could have done about the front row as we, apparently, have only the one tighthead in the country. That’s a story for another time.
It’s been great to see Murray coming through but if he or Redden are injured are there really no other options at scrum half?
Tomas Fecking O’Leary has now replaced Paddy Bloody Wallace in my affections.
Maybe he was a good 9 back in 2009, before he was injured out of the Lions tour, but really, why is he allowed into a green shirt now? OK, Boss is a step backwards, and anyway, he’s not even Irish, but what about Marshall? O’Donohoe? Me? (OK I’m 48 and not a scrum half, but still)
OK, sacrilege alert. O’Gara should no longer be on the bench.
The man’s 35 and will not be around for the World Cup. Sexton’s the fly half and should be expected to last a full game, or near enough. Get Humphreys, Keatley, Madigan, O’Connor… involved now. Give them a few runs to see, a bit, what they’re made of.
At centre it’s the same old story. Had O’Driscoll been fit Earls (or Trimble) would have been on the bench. O’Driscoll still deserves his place but maybe, just maybe, for the future good, he should retire internationally. If Earls is going to be our outside centre he needs to start growing into the role rather than filling in when BOD’s out or acting wing/utility back. And surely it’s time for D’Arcy to move (or be pushed) aside. Barnes, McFadden, Nevin or O’Malley will probably be playing centre for Ireland sooner or later. Let’s make it sooner.
I’m happy enough with the back three but would like to see Zebo and baby Kearney getting some game time.

All that said, I’m sure Mr Kidney has forgotten more about rugby than I could ever know.

Nick Mallet anyone?