O’Sullivan happy with preparations

EDDIE O’SULLIVAN is adamant that his players will not arrive “cold” for the World Cup, despite surviving on a diet distinctly lacking in high intensity rugby for the last five months.

Having been excused from the two-test tour to Argentina, most of Ireland’s first-choice players must go back to the last Six Nations game against Italy in mid-March for their last taste of international rugby.

With Leinster and Munster exiting the Heineken Cup just two weeks later, the lack of serious game time seems even more acute but the Irish coach seems unperturbed as he prepares another largely shadow selection for the trip to Edinburgh this weekend.

“Most countries are in the same boat,” he said. “A lot of coaches sensibly rested players for summer tours. The warm-up games are going to be very useful, including our game against Scotland at the weekend, the match against Italy and the hit-out against Bayonne.

“We’re pretty happy with our preparations. Our first two pool games (against Namibia and Georgia) aren’t the toughest but you still want to make sure that you use the right resources in terms of winning them well and building confidence. It is what it is.”

With Ireland cast into the toughest of pools in this World Cup, the players will soon make up for the lull of the last few months, but the storyline is nothing new for O’Sullivan and many of his players.

Just like now, Ireland found themselves playing heavyweights in their last two group games four years ago, edging out Argentina by a point in Adelaide before losing out by the same margin to Australia in Melbourne.

“When you find yourself in a pool with the hosts you probably don’t get the easiest draw. It somehow manages to fall (the host’s) way most of the time. It happened the in Australia.

“For us to qualify we will have to play two very hard games at the end of the pool and then try and kick on with a test game every week.

“To get to a World Cup final you have to win four test games on the bounce. To win one you have to win five. It will be a good test of our resolve.

“With all these things it’s easier to plan for it when you know what is in front of you.”

It promises to be a busy few weeks for O’Sullivan who has also agreed to contribute to Setanta’s World Cup coverage whilst in France.

“It’s kind of a unique situation. I would have been talking to Setanta quite a bit during the World Cup anyway but I will be happy to talk in a lot more detail than I might have been in other situations.