Campbell salutes O’Sullivan’s ‘dignity’
Campbell said O’Sullivan had bowed out of the Irish job with “fantastic dignity” in difficult circumstances.
“He got out at the right time, didn’t cause embarrassment for himself or anyone else and I think in time he will be remembered for being at the helm of some of the best years of Irish rugby history,” said the former Irish and Lions No 10.
Campbell believes the end of O’Sullivan’s long reign as Irish coach was unfortunate.
“I think the trouble began with a simple try by France in Croke Park last season that denied Ireland a Grand Slam. Whatever happened after that, everything seemed to go wrong; things just went pear-shaped.”
But the former great, a member of Ireland’s 1982 Triple Crown winning team, did level some criticism at O’Sullivan for not moving with the times. “I think most international coaches over the last few years, depending on the resources they had available, looked at a 22 man squad as their team. I think Eddie was reluctant to look beyond the 15 players he chose to start the various matches.
“Some might have termed him as stubborn and others maybe believed he didn’t listen to those around him, but he did believe in doing things his way and you also have to admire that.”
Far from believing O’Sullivan is washed up as a coach following his resignation, Campbell believes he actually has a rich and fruitful future in the game.
He pointed to the success generated by Warren Gatland after being sacked by Ireland — three Premiership titles with Wasps, two Heineken Cup titles with the same club and an NPC title with Waikato after his return to New Zealand. Thirteen days ago, Gatland contributed to O’Sullivan’s demise by helping lead Wales to a Grand Slam and Six Nations Championship title.
“I have no doubt,” said Campbell, “that Eddie O’Sullivan will be sought after by teams from around the world; he is capable of leading teams at any level and he will be in a very meaningful job by the start of next season.”
But what of his successor in Ireland? Campbell believes the stand-out candidate from Ireland is Declan Kidney. “His record stands up to any possible scrutiny and he has been involved with the national team before. There might be angles and issues needed to be worked out, but for me he is the potential new head coach.
“He would probably need assistance; I think these days everyone needs to have a strong team around — the names of Pat Howard, Eddie Jones, Jake White and John Mitchell all spring to mind, but they’re also linked with other jobs at the moment. I would hope, however, that the IRFU would move as quickly as Eddie moved to begin to sort this out.”
Meanwhile, former Irish captain Terry Kingston is also in favour of Kidney’s elevation to the top job although, as a Munster man, he would bemoan his loss from the provincial scene.
“If the IRFU are to pick from Ireland they really only have two choices, Declan Kidney and Michael Bradley, although Niall O’Donovan should also have a role. If they’re to move outside, they could look at a number of players but they will surely have to make sure to look at the bigger picture.
“If there was a criticism of Eddie, it was that he maybe took too much on board and didn’t listen to other opinions. I would say, however, that Eddie did a lot for Irish rugby; he sought to bring the squad to a high standard and he managed to do it. He is to be commended for that.
“His biggest problem in relation to other countries was that his squad wasn’t big enough and he didn’t always blood players when he had the opportunity,” he said.
Kingston could mention name after name, but hopes that the future will bring an internal appointment, again focusing on Kidney as the prime candidate. The IRFU will, however, look further, and there are a number of names from which to choose, according to chief executive, Philip Browne, who will be determined not to follow the lead of the FAI and keep fans and players waiting for months.
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