Jump to main content

Menu

O’Sullivan: ”Not A Lot To Change”

O’Sullivan: ”Not A Lot To Change”

Ireland coach Eddie O’Sullivan has admitted there’s ”not an awful lot that needs changing” in his side, ahead of Saturday’s RBS Six Nations trip to table-toppers Wales.

Ireland coach Eddie O’Sullivan has admitted there’s ”not an awful lot that needs changing” in his side, ahead of Saturday’s RBS Six Nations trip to table-toppers Wales.

O’Sullivan – whose first game in charge of Ireland ended in a 54-10 Lansdowne Road romp against the Welsh in 2002 – selects his side for the Millennium Stadium showdown at 12.45pm tomorrow at Dublin’s Citywest hotel.

Google Ad Manager – 300×250 – In Article


Still feeling the effects of Saturday’s shell-shocking 26-19 loss to a born-again France, O’Sullivan knows his side simply have to move on and be professional.

“There is always a danger of beating yourself up when you lose a game. We could say we lost because we played poorly, but that clearly wasn’t the case,” he insisted.

“France are a very good side. They have a big pack who can stick it up their jumper and they have some great pace in the backs. We keep forgetting they’ve won two Grand Slams in three years – that doesn’t happen by accident.”

With both injured centres Gordon D’Arcy and Shane Horgan certainly out of contention for an inclusion for Cardiff, Ireland may field the same XV which valiantly tried to come back from a nine-point half-time deficit against les Bleus.

“There are bits and pieces I’d like us to improve on such as our possession at the line-out and the way we start a game. But there’s not an awful lot that needs changing because the result was decided by one score,” added O’Sullivan.

“We are evenly matched sides in the top half of the table. Wales beat France by six points while France beat us by seven. Everyone predicted it would be a very tight Six Nations and that’s how it has been.”

Since 2000’s 23-19 home loss to the Stephen Jones-inspired Dragons, Ireland have won five on-the-bounce against the men from the Principality.