The 2009 RBS 6 Nations Grand Slam champions suffered a series whitewash in New Zealand in June, including a 60-0 loss in the final Test.

But with the Autumn Internationals just around the corner in November, games against Fiji, Argentina and South Africa are the only subjects keeping Kidney awake at night.

“My situation doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is that we do well,” he said.

“That’s been the only pressure I’ve been under from day one. Coaches are the same as players, you’re here for a while so you make the most of everything.

“We’ve a fantastic occasion coming up so that’s the only thing I worry about. The only thing I’m concerned about is how Ireland do.

“The results are not the way we would have wanted them. We learned a huge amount from that. I’ve been in this long enough to know that out of that, great things can come; it all depends on how you approach it.

“You look at other sides like England, who went through the same sort of thing, then a couple of years later they were winning all sorts of things.”