The only thing holding us back now is O’Sullivan

THERE are few things in life more frustrating than watching talent being wasted, seeing potential wash down the drain.

Over the last decade of Irish rugby, that is exactly what we’ve been witnessing, on a grand scale. Despite what many of our national opinion-formers may say, Ireland does not lack for resources, does not lack for numbers, when it comes to taking on the best in world rugby; every time I hear such nonsense I cringe, because every sport at every level, even in recent times, has evidence to prove that success doesn’t always go to the biggest bull in the ring.

If it always simply came down to numbers and resources, what business did Wexford and Clare have winning All-Ireland senior hurling titles in the 90’s when they trail behind the likes of Cork, Tipperary, Galway, Kilkenny, even Limerick and Dublin, in those areas?

What about Tyrone, Armagh, Down, Donegal, Derry in Ulster, all of whom wouldn’t hold a candle to Dublin or Kerry when it comes to those same resources, when it comes to tradition and history?

What the hell were they doing winning All-Ireland senior football titles through the 90’s and 00’s? Look at Porto in the Champions League, look at some of the recent winners in American Football’s Superbowl, in baseball’s World Series; look at Greece in the European Championship, look down to club level in any sport you please and the little guys can compete with and beat the biggest, if they are properly organised and prepared.

It’s utter nonsense to keep citing lack of resources and low playing numbers as an excuse for Ireland’s abject record in recent years in terms of Six-Nations championships won, in terms of World Cup performance. Italy apart, none of the other four nations have to go back to the 1940’s for their last Grand Slam — make that their only Grand Slam. Our record is a disgrace, an indictment of the Irish rugby mentality on the big stage.

The last 10 years have been particularly bad, the last six especially. Even the most negative and defeatist of commentators would have to accept that during that period Ireland has had more world-class players at its disposal than at almost any other period in its rugby history; why, we’ve even had depth, winning an A championship Grand Slam just a few years ago, also winning regularly at underage level, including last year’s U-20 Grand Slam and championship.

At senior level, however, where it most counts, what have we achieved? Have we even won a single Six-Nations championship, never mind the Grand Slam? No, and the reason is clear — we haven’t had a world-class head coach.

The challenge facing any coach is to get the absolute best out of the players under his control; patently, Eddie O’Sullivan has failed.

Year after year during his tenure we were hearing the same negative, self-destructive talk about small nation, punching above our weight, toning down our expectations — bubble-bursting babble. One thing, and one thing only, has held this group of players back from reaching their considerable full potential — Eddie O’Sullivan’s conservatism, his safety-first approach, his reluctance to ever give this group of outstanding footballers their head, let them off to play rugby the Irish way — with intelligent abandon, with organised chaos.

Never was all this negativity more obvious than last Saturday in Dublin. Over the last few days, I’ve heard our pundits wonder at the lack of spirit in the Irish players, at the lack of atmosphere in Croke Park — what wonder?

What spirit can you have when your gameplan is to play with two hands behind your back, with your two feet bound? What is there for any Irish crowd to cheer about when they can’t even see the ball for minutes at a time as the men in green try to grind their way yard by yard up the pitch, getting nowhere? We have a backrow trio of outstanding open-field ball-carriers, and use them as supplementary battering rams to a front five that was more than capable of doing its own job.

Even if Ireland had won that game — and we could have, were it not for stupid penalties conceded, never mind the missed tackle for the Welsh try — I think any right-thinking Irish rugby supporter would have been disgusted at the manner in which we tried to play.

Ultimately, however, we got what we deserved — nothing.

One by one, and entirely by happenstance, the pieces are again falling into place for another hugely talented Irish team.

The pack remains a force, and as long as rugby is played in Munster, will always remain a force, but now we have Rob Kearney at fullback, Luke Fitzgerald on the wing, Andrew Trimble in his best position of outside-centre, youngsters who should all have been in those positions since the start of this Six-Nations. Before he can get to suffocate the attacking instincts of all those players, however, Eddie O’Sullivan must go. We’ve had more than enough.