O’Sullivan hails backroom boys as new Ireland hit the heights

AT A TIME when the Ireland team and its coaching staff can enjoy the good times, Eddie O’Sullivan and his coaching ticket are entitled to feel a little giddy at the dizzy heights they’ve reached in recent weeks.

Twelve months ago, the portents were bleak, with talk of a deep-seated malaise in the Irish camp, of O’Sullivan’s team playing in a straitjacket, even calls for the coach’s head. In fairness to O’Sullivan, he asked the rugby public to be patient as he began setting the seeds for a new high-tempo off-loading game similar to the All Blacks. The game was changing, becoming more attack than defence-oriented, and since spring the Irish performance graph hasn’t stopped rising.

“It might be no harm for a few days to get giddy, but we do have to be realistic,” said O’Sullivan yesterday. “It was a good victory. There was nothing wrong with that Australian team on Sunday. They weren’t missing too many players, they weren’t experimenting. Whatever you can say about South Africa, missing some players and trying players out, I don’t think you can say that about Australia.”

Taking into account where Ireland were this time last year, hurting after heavy losses to the All Blacks (7-45) and Australia (14-30), O’Sullivan says the turnaround in their fortunes can be attributed to a number of factors.

“If you want to go back to building blocks, it was all about getting a good management team. It’s not just the frontline lads but there’s a very good medical support, a very good fitness support, a very good structure, and the will of the union who have put a lot of effort into the team. You’ve got to use that sensibly.”

Those who say O’Sullivan was slow to blood players need fear no more as over this 12-month period the emergence of Denis Leamy, Andrew Trimble and Neil Best has reinvigorated the team. Of the team that started last Sunday, only seven were in the starting XV against Wales in Cardiff in March 2004.

O’Sullivan has overseen an evolution and revolution in Irish rugby.

“We’ve worked hard at getting some of the younger guys through, like Denis Leamy, who this time last year was written off as a No 8. Also Andrew Trimble had just broken onto the team. There is also a resurgent David Wallace who’s playing the rugby of his life, and Neil Best who was only breaking into Ulster a year ago. So you’re getting the right guys on the park, and just refining how we play the game in terms of our analysis of the opposition, our own game plan and then the skill set to execute it.”

The refining of the skills sets is due mainly to the work of skills/continuity coach Bryan McLaughlin. This time last year the country was bemoaning the lack of or mastery of basic skills like handling or off-loading in the tackle. Now it seems second nature to this particular group.

“We’re lucky with the players who have come into the squad, the skill sets are very good,” said O’Sullivan. “I remember going back three or four years, we had an Irish pack with two real ball carriers in it and they were the guys who were going to get over the gain line in tight situations. I remember Victor Costello used play that role for us — this time four years ago he did a fantastic job against Australia in conditions like Sunday’s — and he was a monster that day. Now you’ve guys like Paul O’Connell, Denis Leamy, David Wallace, Neil Best — suddenly you’ve ball carriers right through your pack.

“It gives you options to change your game plan, so whether you’re Australia or South Africa, whether it’s windy or it’s dry, you can go out and cut your cloth. And if you execute under those conditions there’s a good chance you’ll win the game. You still have to go out and execute it.”

O’Sullivan admitted he got a little nervy in the second half as Ireland tried to play too much ball through hands instead of applying the Munster blueprint to their game in what were, with 20 minutes left, severely deteriorating weather conditions.

“At times, we were a little bit extravagant trying to do things when no-one could play in the last 20 minutes. The ball was a liability. And we were trying things and you wanted to say: ‘Lads for God’s sake, will you stick it in the corner, and stop putting yourselves under pressure.’ But at the same time you don’t want to say that to them. You’d like them to get on with it and maybe that’s a headset change for us that’s good you know.”

A lot of the credit for Sunday’s performance must go to McLaughlin, who has worked wonders on Ireland’s phase-building, skill sets and continuity. Factor in the work at the breakdown, which was again top notch against a formidable Australia back three of Rocky Elsom, Phil Waugh and Wycliff Palu, as well as second half replacement George Smith, all groundhogs on a miserable day.

“We were very, very accurate at the breakdown,” said McLaughlin. “Our continuity skills in the conditions were outstanding: our ball into contact, our carries in, we continued to play with the ball in those conditions. You rely a lot on the skills the players have. We’re fortunate we have a bunch of players with a great skills set that we have worked very hard on. We’re encouraging guys to use their feet and move into the spaces rather than go to ground. To go between defenders is the key. Certainly it’s paying dividends for us.”