Kidney denies Irish faked injuries

Ireland coach Declan Kidney has described allegations that his team deliberately faked injuries against Australia in their Pool C upset as "incredulous and slightly scandalous".

Former Wallaby great Tim Horan has claimed that Ireland assistant coach and fellow Australian Alan Gaffney revealed the game plan to him in the dressing rooms after the 15-6 win in Auckland.

"Ireland had a game plan for Australia and it worked a treat: to slow the game down just for stoppages, target them in the scrum, and put the high ball up at every opportunity," Horan wrote in his Sydney newspaper column.

Speaking on Friday at Ireland’s team announcement for the match with Russia in Rotorua, Kidney did not pull any punches in his response to the allegations.

"I think it's incredulous and frankly scandalous that he would try and bring one of his own fellow countrymen into something that is just totally untrue," Kidney said.

Nine changes

The allegations by Horan, who won the Rugby World Cup in 1991 and 1999, and the future of Ireland fly half Ronan O’Gara have been the major talking points leading into the match against the Bears.

After the momentous win over the Wallabies, O’Gara hinted he would retire at the end of Ireland’s RWC 2011 campaign, but he has since played down his comments.

For the match with Russia on Sunday Kidney has made nine changes from the starting XV that defeated Australia, an Ireland record for RWC matches.

It means that all but one of Ireland's 30 squad members will have played at RWC 2011 going into their final pool match against Italy on Sunday, 2 October. The exception will be hooker Damien Varley, who flew in only a week ago to replace the injured Jerry Flannery.

"I think in tournament rugby it's extremely difficult to play in games non-stop," Kidney said of his rotation policy.

Passion play

"These guys who are playing here have been training very well, and I think they're the best men to represent us in this match."

Kidney said he expected plenty of passion from RWC debutants Russia, who were defeated 53-17 by Italy in Nelson on Tuesday.

He has vivid memories of Ireland’s 35-3 victory over Russia in a RWC qualifier in Krasnoyarsk in September, 2002.

"We know how passionately they take their rugby," Kidney said.

"It's absolutely no different than if you're playing in Dublin or Belfast.

"You ask the Irish referees who go over and ref the Russian-Georgian derbies. They say they’re like an Ireland-England match."