THERE were three options open to Declan Kidney for today's meeting with Fiji at the RDS. Firstly, he could have left well enough alone, focused on lack of game time and, except for the injured Cian Healy and Luke Fitzgerald, reselected the team that lined out against Australia for the second week running.

Secondly, he could have opted for the bulk of the Churchill Cup-winning side, plus last Sunday's replacements, under the guise of a shadow line-up.

Whatever about the first, the second was never a runner. Based on scarce resources, Irish rugby and its shop-window suit must always be cut to measure from a limited amount of cloth.

The third and most sensible course was to hit that middle line between experience and inexperience to achieve a result. To that end, what we've got is a typical Kidney call.

Backboned by Brian O'Driscoll and Paul O'Connell -- our equivalent of Dan Carter and Richie McCaw -- the head coach has picked a formidable side to take on World Cup quarter-finalists Fiji at what is expected to be a very wet and windy Ballsbridge venue this afternoon.

If the weather conditions do match the forecast, it will be a great pity -- not just for the free-running islanders -- but also for a Leinster-loaded back line (Keith Earls apart) geared to run on their home patch.

But, whatever the elements and however marked the Fijian shift in emphasis from Sevens (their national obsession) to the full-blown version, the reality is that this Ireland side should prove much too strong regardless.

Thus, I don't think it too much to expect that we will have two wins from two going into the showpiece game of the November series against world champions South Africa next Saturday.

Fiji coach Glen Ella has made five changes to the team that lost 23-10 to Scotland in Edinburgh. The alterations appear to have made them a stronger prospect, with Ulster wing Timoci Nagusa added to the replacements having joined the squad in Dublin earlier in the week. Nagusa is a good impact player, so if his presence on the bench is indicative of the talent on the field, then we are guaranteed a rough ride.

Skipper Seremaia Bai, out-half Nicky Little and lock Ifereimi Rawaqa are the Fijian survivors from the last meeting between the sides at Lansdowne Road in 2002. Kidney, meanwhile, includes five from that match-day 22 -- O'Driscoll, Shane Horgan, Gordon D'Arcy, John Hayes and Leo Cullen -- when Ireland were convincing 64-17 winners.

For Ireland, the modus operandi will evolve around imposing structure and thereby dictating the tempo. To that end, it will be a familiar challenge, albeit at a different level, for the heir apparent to Ronan O'Gara's throne, Jonathan Sexton.

Although it backfired badly when conceding an early try to the Wallabies, I support the head coach's principle of giving players license to run from anywhere at any time. The rationale against Australia was to catch them off guard when attacking from deep early. However, this afternoon, maybe a little more caution is required.

Realistically, those with most to play for today, apart from debutant Sexton, include D'Arcy, Earls, Eoin Reddan and Denis Leamy.

Reddan has much to offer at this level and is rightly ranked second only to Tomas O'Leary in the scrum-half pecking order.

For D'Arcy and Earls, too, opportunity knocks. Paddy Wallace did well against the Wallabies, but D'Arcy could move himself back into contention with a solid performance today.

Unfortunately the chance to give the same front-row another run has been denied. However, former Leinster forwards coach, and assistant now to Ella, Mike Brewer, has declared that he considers Tom Court a better scrummaging loose-head than Healy, so along with Jerry Flannery and Hayes, he can provide a pretty solid platform for Jamie Heaslip, Stephen Ferris, Leamy and the rest to build on.

For Leamy, too, it represents a big chance to display his talents. It could be argued his ability to fill all three back-row positions is telling against him, but there's one thing for sure, his presence today will not diminish the back-row potential one iota.

Beyond that it would prove extremely beneficial if Kidney could unleash the Seans -- Cronin and O'Brien -- for their maiden run off the bench, while Tony Buckley and Andrew Trimble could also return to top-flight action.

Perhaps we might see a reshuffling of the backline at some stage, with Earls moving to centre and Trimble on to the wing.

All things considered, while paying the appropriate respect to the team ranked 10th in the world, it is essential that we provide a performance laced with conviction.

Take Ireland by 12.

Irish Independent