In terms of winning percentages Gerry Murphy was Ireland's most successful coach of the 1990s. Murphy, who took over from Ciaran Fitzgerald in 1993, went on to guide Ireland to a 38 per cent strike rate from the 21 games in which he was in charge.

Murphy also holds the distinction of coaching Ireland to their best winning streak of the '90s. Under his instruction the side won three matches in succession: against Wales and England in the 1993 Five Nations Championship and then against the visiting Romania team. France ended that run in the first of the Five Nations matches of 1994.

Murray Kidd, who came in after Murphy in 1995 just as rugby turned professional, stayed in charge for just nine matches but won three of them, giving him the second best winning record of 33 per cent. His successor, Brian Ashton, was coach for just eight games before he prematurely departed, winning a quarter of the games in which he was involved.

Current Irish coach Warren Gatland does not figure badly compared to the five other coaches of the 1990s. He ranks third with a 31 per cent winning rate. Gatland has, so far, won six matches from 19 and drawn none. Had Ireland beaten Argentina Gatland would have brought his percentage score to within one win of equalling that of Murphy.

Jim Davidson, like current coach Gatland, can be said to have an incomplete record as his term spanned the late '80s and into the 1990s. He was in charge for only four matches in this decade.

Overall there is only a two per cent difference between winning results in the pre- and post-professional eras during this period.

What might be the most telling statistic, however, is that the national team averaged a new coach once every two years. Davidson was in charge for the first four matches of 1990 before an Fitzgerald, Murphy, Kidd, Ashton and Gatland came into the picture.