THE ILL-feeling caused by much of the Australian media’s coverage of their team’s defeat to Ireland rumbles on. Declan Kidney responded with unusual anger to the comments by former Wallabies’ centre turned pundit Tim Horan that Ireland had deliberately slowed down last Saturday’s game by taking injury “time-outs”.

What’s more, Horan claimed he knew this because he had spoken to Alan Gaffney in the immediate aftermath of the game in the dressingroom and the Irish backs’ coach had confirmed it.

“What I can tell you for definite is that the reporter (Horan) was never in the dressingroom,” said Kidney, “that the coach in question never spoke to him, so I can only let you make your own inference as to how he feels he can quote something that was never said.

“I think it’s incredulous and slightly scandalous that he would try to bring one of his own fellow countrymen into something that is totally untrue. But that’s for other people to have their standards in life.”

Last night Horan continued to stand over his story, conceding that although the meeting with Gaffney may not have been inside the Irish dressing room, it took place directly outside the changing area at Eden Park.

After the game I went down, just outside the dressing rooms and onto the field,” Horan told the Fox Sports Rugby World Cup Centre show in Australia, “and Alan Gaffney was there.

I know Alan Gaffney very well, we were Wallabies selectors together. I had a great chat to him, applauding him for the tactics that they used; I thought they were wonderful tactics in the conditions. Yeah I definitely spoke to him.

Writing in the Melbourne-based Herald Sun last Monday, under the heading: “Clever Irish faked way to victory”, Horan wrote: “Ireland had a deliberate plan to fake injuries each time there was a breakdown in play last Saturday, so they could slow the game down and frustrate the Wallabies. How can I be sure? By talking to Irish assistant coach Alan Gaffney in the dressingrooms afterwards.

“If James Horwill was more experienced as a captain, he would have blown up about it to referee Bryce Lawrence and really created a scene – there is no way Richie McCaw would have stayed silent if a team used the same tactics against the All Blacks.”

Kidney maintained that such comments wouldn’t influence referees. “We had an incident 12 months ago when a coach had to apologise,” he said, presumably referring to Nick Mallett retracting his claims concerning a letter of apology supposedly sent by Romain Poite to the Italian Federation.

“But I wouldn’t be worried about it. Like I said, it’s for other people to have their standards. But I think it’s important that if we get something wrong, we’ll hold up our hands, but when we don’t get something wrong we’ll defend ourselves and we won’t be shy of doing it, as I’m sure every other nation would be.”

As for the strength of his response, Kidney said: “I don’t think I was that strong, I just stated the facts really. To be honest, I wouldn’t be losing any sleep about it. I’m sure it’s possible that you could make a story out of it and I know that it’s difficult to try and get stories. I’m sure you’re sick of the sight of us and we’re only here three weeks. But I wouldn’t be losing any sleep over it myself.