Oh the irony!

So at the fag-end of a pretty dire home nations performance in the AIs, Declan Kidney is poised to be the most likely to retain his job.

Robinson is already a goner to pass a poisoned chalice to some master seamster capable of making a silk pures from a sow's ear. The lucky new incumbent will have to target Saturday, 9 February 2013, RBS Six Nations, Scotland v Italy, 14:30.

Howley and even Gatland have questions to answer prior to the latter's Lions tests but the slammers have suffered from a lack of depth in the system. But with a good last chance saloon in the offing.

Lancaster, charged with the inevitable rebuild just but only just maintains a veneer of credibility which will carry him through to the next 6Ns when the public will expect identifiable progress.

You have to pity the poor old Irish fans - so keen on ditching Kidney - having a coach who only when backed into dark corners before making forced decisions, puts a glimmer of a smile back on their faces (unless they'd secretly preferred to have lost yesterday).