By Gary Watton
April 4 2013

Now that the likeable Declan Kidney has long since outstayed his welcome, the hunt is on for his successor.

I hope that the media speculation about the possibility of Australian maestro Ewen McKenzie taking on the coaching baton is realised. McKenzie has a decent track record and he is so keen to eventually land the job as the team supremo for his beloved Australia, that he will be keen to impress as a coach of under-achieving Ireland. Conor O'Shea has no intention of leaving Harlequins, so for me the only real alternatives are: Mike Ruddock, or even Mark Anscombe of Ulster. Why not also consider Brian McLaughlin who did tremendously well to take Ulster to a Heineken Cup final last year? May I also throw the following outsiders into the hat? What about considering John Kirwan, who made a good fist of coaching Italy? I would even give serious thought to Martin Johnson or a return for Brian Ashton. I have a soft spot for big Martin. It wasn't his fault that he was entrusted with mission impossible and transform a mediocre England team into world-beaters. Well, the smart money is on Ewen McKenzie. The former Australian prop would be a good choice to take Ireland forward. Whoever gets the role must instil a new attitude amongst Oirish rugby. In England and France [and Wales to a certain extent], defeat is intolerable, whereas in Ireland, we tend to shrug our shoulders. That's not good enough. Our players are good. We must win more often and not settle for second best any more. One Grand Slam since 2000 is a poor return for such a talented pool of players, especially when measured against three for Wales since 2005. Ireland can and must do much better.