O'Sullivan shows respect to Hadden

Eddie O’Sullivan has voiced his “huge respect” for Frank Hadden as he seeks to crank up the pressure on the under-fire Scotland coach.

Hadden reacted to Scotland’s World Cup exit by declaring they could win the RBS 6 Nations, but instead they find themselves plotting yet another wooden spoon collision course with Italy.

Limited and ponderous, they have made a mockery of Hadden’s optimistic prediction and a third successive championship defeat would intensify speculation over his future.

Former England boss Andy Robinson’s successful involvement with Edinburgh and Scotland A has only added further urgency to his search for a swift change in fortune.

But the 53-year-old has an admirer in opposite number O’Sullivan, whose own position with Ireland was crumbling until a creditable defeat to France earnt some breathing space.

“The pressure is part of the job. Frank has done one hell of a job with Scotland over the last few years,” said O’Sullivan.

“He’s been very successful at coming in, taking a style of playing and deciding to change it in the belief the players he has are capable of doing certain things.

“Scotland have been a very different team to play against under Frank.

“In sport if you win by a point everything is right, if you lose by a point everything is wrong.

“But that’s not the case. Frank has been unlucky this year in the championship.

“There was expectation against an inexperienced French team but they were unlucky with the bounce of the ball and that gave them a tough start to the Six Nations.

“Frank is in a tough spot at the moment but there’s no better man to dig his way out of it.

“I have huge respect for him and the Scotland team since he’s taken over.

“We’ve found them very difficult to play against, and that’s the job any coach wants to do. I wish him well, but not until Sunday.”

Ireland have struggled against Scotland in their last three matches and O’Sullivan has warned his side they must not be outmuscled at Croke Park tomorrow.

“Physically Scotland have been very hard for us to handle in the past couple of years and we lost a lot of collisions,” he said.

“Last year at Murrayfield in the Six Nations it was a hugely physical game and they disrupted us by being in our faces.

“It took us a long time to wear them down.

“It was more of the same in August when we also didn’t cope very well with the physicality Scotland have used to great effect over the past couple of years.

“It will be physical again tomorrow and we have to make sure that we break even – at the very least – in that area of the game.”