Home advantage pays for O'Sullivan

Ireland's attempts to halt their spiral of decline in the 90s included appointing a succession of coaches from outside, and such was the disenchantment felt by Eddie O'Sullivan that he moved to the United States and was part of the Eagles' coaching team in the last World Cup.

Those were the days when the only question about Ireland's championship campaign was whether they or Wales would finish at the bottom of the table.

The Irish looked to countries where rugby was booming. The New Zealander Murray Kidd was taken on but lasted little more than a year before falling on his sword. He was followed by the Englishman Brian Ashton, who resigned after a year and was succeeded by the former All Black hooker Warren Gatland, only for Ireland to fail to qualify for the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in 1999.

Enter O'Sullivan. "I think a national side should be coached by one of its own," he said this week. "I am not saying that a non-Irishman cannot be successful with Ireland or a non-Englishman with England, but they start with a disadvantage because they do not know the little ways of the country they have moved to. You understand your own players better when you are one of them."

Gatland's appointment had been particularly disappointing for O'Sullivan. When he resigned as coach of Connacht in 1996 over a contract dispute, Gatland took over from him and within two years found himself in charge of Ireland. Meanwhile O'Sullivan had moved to America in 1997 to become assistant national technical director of US rugby. He was promoted the following year and took charge of the forwards in the World Cup, after which he was offered the job of head coach. As he was considering the offer, Ireland asked him to become assistant coach to Gatland.

O'Sullivan's appointment as backs' coach coincided with a vast improvement in playing standards and, when Gatland left at the end of 2001 after a contract row, there was no debate about his successor.

"The United States had made me another offer but once I had become Ireland's assistant coach there was no way I was going to leave again because I was only one step away from the top job," said O'Sullivan. "I finished playing in 1990 but I had been involved in coaching for many years before that and taking charge of the Irish side was always my ambition. I never won a cap as a player, though I would like to think that I went pretty close, and I was determined to go to the top as a coach."

He was born in Youghal, County Cork, 44 years ago. He played on the wing for Garry Owen, a clubmate of the former Ireland and Lions outside-half Tony Ward, who had been instrumental in persuading him to concentrate on rugby rather than Gaelic football when they were at Thomond College together, and was part of the Munster team who lost to the 1984 Australians in the Thomond Park fog.

He became the game development officer for the Irish Rugby Football Union and was the fitness adviser to the Ireland team in the World Cup, then coached the Under-21s to the triple crown in 1996.

"During my time in the United States I learned a lot from American football about the way to prepare players," he said. "The sport provides the players with the proper structure and environment to work in, but the buck always stops with the coach."

As Gatland's assistant, O'Sullivan was credited with helping develop Ireland's playing style from one of less than organised chaos to one which, though retaining the fire and passion, became more refined. By enhancing the footballing qualities of his backs, he ensured that the key to beating the Irish was no longer a matter of waiting for their early aggression to abate.

"I have been fortunate to have a vintage crop of players," he said. "I am not sure what I expected when I took over from Warren; we started with a thumping victory over Wales but we then got turned over badly in England and France. I think the turning point was in New Zealand last year when we lost the first Test 15-6 but were in it until the final minute when they scored a breakaway try.

"We should have won the game but we failed. I sat the players down and told them that we needed a different approach: we could not be happy with being merely promising and, while we would never win every game, we had to win more than our fair share by believing in ourselves.

"You saw the difference in Cardiff last week when, after leading for most of the match, we found ourselves two points behind in stoppage-time. I sent a message on to the pitch that the players were not to panic because they still had three minutes left. It was less than that but I did not want to worry them. Thirty seconds later we were back in front and that is the difference between the Ireland of a year ago and now. There is more composure."

Keeping calm tomorrow will be difficult but there has been no war of words between the two camps this week, though O'Sullivan has ensured that England are regarded as the favourites.

"I have a lot of admiration for Clive Woodward [the England head coach]," he said. "We first crossed paths at Under-21 level. He is an innovator and I like what he has achieved with his side."

A career in coaching

1958 Born Youghal, Cork

1980s Player with Garryowen and Munster

1991 IRFU game development officer

1993-6 Coach with Blackrock College, Galwegians, Connacht, Ireland Under-21s

1997-2000 Coach with Buccaneers

1997 Assistant national technical director, US

1998 National technical director/forwards coach, US

1999 Assistant coach, Ireland

2001 Head coach, Ireland