By Country / Ireland

Just like Johnno, it's 100% for Ireland and Declan Kidney...

Eight tries, considering the horrendous conditions, was a decent return for the fresh-thinking Irish.

Better than their last effort?

Ireland's most recent clash with Canada ended in a drab draw and the itchy remains from a complacent World Cup campaign to forget seems to have been washed away in unforgiving Irish Sea.

The new-look backs caught the eye?

Kidney's bread and butter was Munster's pack, so it was encouraging to watch a fluent Irish back-line passing and moving with the fluency of the great Liverpool side of the 1970s.

Hometown hero Keith Earls couldn't have hoped for a better introduction?

After making the short journey [several hundred yards] to Thomond Park from his home, he raced over for the game's opening try, only three minutes into his debut. Alongside pacy pair, Tommy Bowe and Rob Kearney, Ireland now have the speed and guile in the backs to match the grunt and savvy of the pack.

So Kidney has a few tricky selection posers for the real test on Saturday.

Stephen Ferris' good work on the deck coupled with Jamie Heaslip's bulldozing breaks across the game line showed up well, but Richie McCaw awaits and he won't let the young Irish pups breathe let alone canter through tackles with such consummate ease.

Another week before we can measure the new coach's impact then?

Absolutely. But the early signals point towards a cracking blend of nous and youthful exuberance.

Yes, the blood of a European. That thunder you can hear is the shuddering footsteps of the southern hemisphere rolling onto northern shores.

Bitterly cold, pounding rain and freezing wind - we couldn't have predicted a ‘warmer’ welcome party for November's customary international merry-go-round.

Saturday's Bledisloe Cup teaser might not have set the pulses racing but it served its purpose, both commercially and preparing two rusty teams for warfare.

Graham Henry has shoved a dirty sock down his critics’ throat. Three wins out of four against the Wallabies makes them the medal scalp.

Australia and New Zealand both looked vulnerable but in Dan Carter and Matt Giteau they have match-winners and the game’s most tactically astute managers.

It's going to take a mighty effort to dethrone the kings from the southern hemisphere but it is possible.

Ireland and England will both fancy the Wallabies and Welsh missiles are locked in and awaiting Springbok fire.

What price on playing the All-Blacks minus Dan Carter? Can the Australians sort out their scrum? And will the South Africans keep rugby strictly on the playing field? 

Questions are aplenty for the boys from the chilly north too.

Can Declan Kidney motor Ireland's engine like he did at Munster? Has Martin Johnson got a bit of the Harry Redknapp's about him? And will Messrs Gatland and Edwards be able to galvanizing similar standards from last year's Grand Slam?

Sadly, the Scots best chance is against Canada and another opportunity for Mike Blair to prove he can carry a poor side.

And a bigger picture looms with the small matter of a British & Irish Lions tour in June. Everyone has something to play for. Even in a losing battle.

Brian O'Driscoll has retained the Ireland captaincy for the autumn internationals against Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

O'Driscoll has been in inspiring recent form for Leinster, which undoubtedly got the centre the nod ahead of Declan Kidney's former Munster captain, Paul O'Connell.

Changes from the training squad announced in July see Ulster duo Bryan Young and Isaac Boss drop out alongside injured Leinster captain Leo Cullen and banned Northampton flanker, Neil Best.

Ireland squad

Backs: T Bowe (Ospreys), I Dowling (Munster), G Dempsey (Leinster), G Duffy (Connacht), K Earls (Munster), L Fitzgerald (Leinster), S Horgan (Leinster), R Kearney (Leinster), G Murphy (Leicester), B Murphy (Munster), B O'Driscoll (Leinster, captain), R O'Gara (Munster), T O'Leary (Munster), E Reddan (Wasps), J Sexton (Leinster), P Stringer (Munster), A Trimble (Ulster), P Wallace (Ulster)

Forwards: R Best (Ulster), T Buckley (Munster), R Caldwell (Ulster), B Casey (London Irish), T Court (Ulster), S Ferris (Ulster), J Flannery (Munster), J Hayes (Munster), C Healy (Leinster), J Heaslip (Leinster), M Horan (Munster), B Jackman (Leinster), S Jennings (Leinster), D Leamy (Munster), D O'Callaghan (Munster), P O'Connell (Munster), M O'Kelly (Leinster), M O'Driscoll (Munster), A Quinlan (Munster), M Ross (Harlequins), D Ryan (Munster), D Wallace (Munster), R Wilson (Northampton).