KEITH WOOD has ventured that Declan Kidney gives the impression that there’s an under-14 game on today. Well, Kidney still conveyed the impression yesterday.

“I’m looking forward to it alright; a free ticket,” he quipped. “It is sport, and it’s what you get into it for. If Fester says that, well and good, but I do look forward to it, I enjoy watching these fellas play. I have always enjoyed watching Ireland play ever since I first saw Ireland play on a black and white tv, or maybe get to your first match. Every Saturday, when it comes around to international time, from the time you take an interest in rugby – when I was four or five – you look forward to your Five Nations or Six Nations and you get excited about matches.”

Inevitably, Kidney was questioned about Warren Gatland’s comments of last Tuesday, whereupon he paused and, in classic mode, said dryly: “I thought the pitch was in great order, it’s a smashing stadium to play in and we’re really looking forward to the game.”

For his part, Gatland conceded that his remarks were “probably a bit over the top”.

“Perhaps I should have been a little bit tempered and said that out of all the teams in the Six Nations the team the Welsh want to beat the most is the Irish. I’ve nothing personal against the Irish. I’ve got some great friends there, my daughter was born in Ireland, so please, for the Irish, don’t take it personally.”

Gatland wondered whether he should “take a leaf out of Declan Kidney’s book”. Implored not to do so by a Welsh journalist, he then added. “That’s probably the way to go in the future, cliches and say nothing. That’s probably, in hindsight, the way to go in terms of press conferences.”

It wasn’t clear that this was in direct reference to Kidney, but it may be interpreted that way.

As for the match – oh yes, the match. “I think Ireland are going to try and strangle us, play set-piece, O’Gara kicking, a lot of pick and go. That’s the way they’ve been playing the game. We’ve got to be a little more expansive.”

On the eve of what is, for Ireland, a rare sighting of the Slam, Kidney maintained. “This is everybody’s team,” he said, “we’re just lucky enough to be the ones around here. Our job is to represent everybody and let everybody’s feelings go with that then.”