Wood declares O'Sullivan has to learn from World Cup disaster or face the sack
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Thursday January 17 2008
Former Irish captain Keith Wood heaped the pressure on Eddie O'Sullivan yesterday by calling for the coach to be sacked if Ireland's miserable form continues this spring.
The comments from Wood, a close ally of O'Sullivan when the pair dovetailed as coach and captain, are a huge departure from his normally reticent offerings.
"Undoubtedly Eddie made mistakes at the World Cup," said Wood. "Some of the selections he made for the squad didn't give him the flexibility he needed.
"Also, he needed to sort out what was wrong with the players' attitude as there were clearly problems in this department. Now he must face up to the errors that were made, in private, and realise that he can't make them again. If he achieves that, then he's a good coach.
"If he can then magic something fantastic out of the season he becomes a very good coach because he will have faced difficult times and come through... If he comes through this challenge he will be a better coach for it.
"How the team reacts now will also reflect on his ability as a coach. We didn't perform at the World Cup and if that continues, then we have to make the change with the coach. The IRFU did the right thing after the World Cup.
"They looked at Ireland's performance, asked if the coach could rectify it and decided he could. But if it turns out he can't, then justifiably he'll be under pressure."
- David Kelly
