Irish lay the foundations for success

AFTER a highly entertaining and extremely impressive autumn series, Ireland coach Eddie O’Sullivan has problems of an altogether different nature than that faced after the corresponding period last season.

Denied the services of key personnel in Paul O’Connell and Brian O’ Driscoll, the team faltered in their absence, and it was disappointing at the time that none of the other experienced hands emerged from the ranks to fill the leadership void.

In the circumstances, new caps Andrew Tremble, Jerry Flannery and Rory Best had a tough introduction to the international scene but displayed sufficient promise to warrant further inclusion.