Compiled by GAVIN CUMMISKEY

Kidney makes plans for the future

“We need to learn to do without them. I’d prefer to do that on our terms and when the man above decides we can’t have them for whatever reason then we are not as taken aback by it. We never want to hold them back but you have start working towards the next guy. If Brian was out who is going to step in at 13?”

– Keith Earls as it turns out. Declan Kidney explains the decision to replace Brian O’Driscoll and Paul O’Connell together on Saturday night. For the record, Leo Cullen took over the captaincy.

Life without the inspirational dual leadership pillars will happen one day.

Eagles progress

EDDIE O’SULLIVAN secured a return date with Irish rugby late on Saturday night when his US Eagles finally saw off Uruguay 27-6, and a 54-28 aggregate, at Broward county regional park in Lauderhill Florida. Uruguay’s cause was hardly assisted by the dismissal of prop Mario Sagario with 25 minutes remaining. The victory puts Eddie’s Eagles (the headlines are going to be fun) into Ireland’s World Cup group in New Zealand in 2011.

Heaslip's tash a cut above the rest

THIS IS getting ridiculous. A whole collection of rugby players have adopted the now traditional November moustache in aid of some charity or another, to such an extent that it feels like we are in a time capsule back to the 1980s. Jamie Heaslip gets the prize for the most impressive tash, a neat little Spanish number. He wears it well. Bryan Habana’s, aka Yosser Hughes, smig is a close second.

“I had to find out what Twitter was. I thought it was the new guy playing fly-half for England.”

– New Zealand coach Graham Henry after two of his players revealed their non-selection on Twitter.com.

IRB nominations prove baffling

ONE WELL-KNOWN rugby website put words to many peoples thoughts this week regarding the ridiculous IRB nominations for world player of the year.

It goes a little something like this. South Africa/Stade Francais fullback Frans Steyn is undoubtedly a top-class operator with a massive boot but did the selectors not mean his namesake Morne Steyn after the outhalf kicked the Bulls/Blue Bulls/Springboks to the Super 14/Currie Cup/Lions Test series? Tom Croft? Please. This stinks of “get an Englishman into the mix no matter what”. Richie McCaw and Matt Giteau? Both of these great players were crocked for half the season.

What really rankles is the failure to nominate the main rival to Brian O’Driscoll for world player of the year. Heinrich Brussows power and shape have altered rucking forever but he doesn’t get recognised for transcending the sport this season.

Eh, Rocky. Elsom anyone?

Springboks still an awesome outfit

GRANTED, JUAN Smith and Pierre Spies are injured, while Frans Steyn and Jean De Villiers are coining it at European clubs but South Africa remain dangerously close to full strength ahead of Saturday’s epic battle of the hemispheres at Croke Park.

The Springboks are having a nightmare tour, losing to the Leicester Tigers, France and Saracens before finally putting Italy, 32-10, to the sword over the weekend.

Wounded Boks then ready for the taking? Not on your life. Bryan Habana and Fourie du Preez looked their usual destructive selves in Udine.

The world champions land in Dublin this morning. Makes for an interesting week.

Fijian coaches wide of the mark

FIJIAN ASSISTANT coaches Mike Brewer and Glen Ella came out all guns blazing in criticism of the IRB’s lack of support, or “lip service” as Ella put it, of developing rugby in the Pacific Islands at the start of last week but by the end they had gone silent on the issue.

Turns out the alleged lack of support for the release of players based in European and Japanese clubs was mainly because the Fijian union never actually asked for help in the first place (another example of administrative blundering it seems, as Matt Williams’ column noted in these pages last Saturday).

The IRB invests 13 million Fijian dollars (€4.6 million) annually into the growth of the game in the Pacific Island unions, which comes directly via the commercial revenues of the Rugby World Cup.

So before these two well-respected coaches complain to the media again they should do some research.