Eddie ponders the O’Gara dilemma
But, knowing all three for what they have achieved and what they are, O’Sullivan’s main wish must surely be to see a challenger emerge to make life difficult for Ronan O’Gara, and life easier for Ireland.
O’Gara, the top man and automatic out-half choice, will need to be wrapped in cotton wool these next few months as Ireland prepare for a Six Nations championship and World Cup — because there is no apparent successor.
This summer, O’Sullivan brought Jeremy Staunton on the tour to New Zealand and Australia, but never gave the Wasps out half a realistic chance to challenge O’Gara. Now, he has turned to Paddy Wallace, once viewed as a great Ulster hope but not given the opportunity to leap-frog over the claim of David Humphreys.
O’Sullivan admitted yesterday that Wallace hadn’t had much of a chance of late, but pointed out that he had been very good in the Churchill Cup in the USA and Canada this summer. “Okay, he’s playing his rugby at centre, but he’s still only one step away from out half,” said the coach.
The coach, referring to Easterby, said the Llanelli captain had been going “at full throttle” of late. “He has recovered from the injury and is looking good.”
Equally so, said O’Sullivan, O’Kelly had enjoyed a good off season preparation. “He went through the mill with the injury, but it appears as if the rest has done him good.”
And, in relation to Sheahan, O’Sullivan was full of praise. “A year ago, Frankie was written off; a lot of players might have walked away, but he showed remarkable determination — he wanted to get back and he made it back.
“I suppose,” said O’Sullivan referring to the fact that Sheahan now comes back in place of the man who replaced him, Jerry Flannery, “there’s a bit of irony about the circumstances of his recall. But Frankie found himself in the same position last year.”
Munster captain Paul O’Connell, Ireland’s Player of the Season last year, basked in the glory of helping Ireland win the Triple Crown and Munster the Heineken Cup.
But in a new way of looking at Irish rugby he admitted: “the one regret was that we couldn’t manage to win the Grand Slam. We came close, but not close enough,” he said.
Looking back on the season, he was delighted with the way Ireland came back to beat England in the dying seconds of the game at Twickenham. “I thought that was a magnificent achievement, and a measure of the way we’re thinking these days. Munster’s Heineken Cup win was smashing and now we have to go on from here, try to move on and try to move upwards.”
He looks forward to the Autumn series of games. “It gives us another major opportunity to measure ourselves against the best sides in the world. It’s going to be tough, but we’re going into each and every game with confidence,” he said.
Meanwhile, Irish rugby yesterday celebrated some other great achievements, old and new, by both individuals and teams at a Guinness sponsored function held at Killiney Castle, County Dublin.
Former rugby internationals Willie John McBride and Mick Molloy, second row partners for their country over a period of six years, were inducted into the Hall of Fame Awards scheme of the rugby Writers of Ireland.
Shannon, after their eighth success in the AIB All Ireland League, were, once more, popular winners of the club of the year award, while Munster won a special prize as the team of the year, a trophy in memory of the late David Guiney.
Former Irish international referee, Kevin Kelleher, took the Tom Rooney award for special services to rugby. Mr Kelleher, apart from officiating in a record number of home international games, was famous for sending off All Black legend Colin Meads for foul play in an international.
Also, yesterday the Irish Rugby Football Union announced an extension of their agreement with Guinness who will officially sponsor the Autumn international series against South Africa, Australia and the Pacific Islands.
Guinness will continue to sponsor Irish rugby through to at least the 2010/2011 season, according the Michael Whelan of Diageo Ireland.
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