IRFU: we won’t be held to ransom

IRFU Chief Executive Philip Browne vowed his union will ‘not be held to ransom by contracts’ as it begins a review of Ireland’s disastrous Rugby World Cup campaign.

Coach Eddie O’Sullivan secured a four year deal before the side departed for France but Mr Browne, in Brussels for meetings with EU Commissioners on the Sports White Paper, stressed that whatever the outcome of the review, “we will not be held to ransom by contracts or anything else.”

He added: “Eddie O’Sullivan is the coach and we are looking forward to working with him for the next period. We will do a review. We will assess what the issues are and then we will address those issues.”

Mr Browne revealed the IRFU may hire outside experts to undertake sections of the review which will include a comprehensive study of logistics, medical fitness, play, coaching staff and administration.

“Different people have different views about this,” he said of the Ireland’s under-performance in the tournament.

“But the way we deal with it is to settle down and do a thorough review. From that we will get an assessment,” he said.

It wasn’t all negative news for the IRFU though with Browne reporting the sale of all of their 10 year tickets for the yet to be redeveloped Lansdowne Road. Each ticket cost €15,000.

The delegation, hosted by the Fianna Fáil members of the European Parliament, included the GAA’s Liam Mulvihill, John Delaney of the Football Association of Ireland, John Treacy of the Irish Sports Council and Pat Hickey of the Olympic Council of Ireland.