Eddie O’Sullivan: Press Conference Quotes

See below for quotes from Ireland coach Eddie O’Sullivan from today’s team announcement press conference in Killiney.

ON THE TEAM SELECTION:

“I think the last performance against England was very good, so I didn’t see any compelling reason for changing it.

“I couldn’t imagine why I’d want to change the hooker. I said going into the Six Nations I’d pick what I thought was the best team going into every game and I haven’t changed that. I think that’s the best team at the moment.”

ON THE DISPLAY AGAINST ENGLAND:

“It was right up there, in fairness. All aspects were good, the set-pieces were very good, our continuity game was good, our defence was excellent, it was very aggressive. Our tackle count was quite and we basically didn’t make too many mistakes. We were very solid.

“The challenge is always to try and keep your performance up there. I don’t think there are any guarantees you can do that. All you can do is go out and try and replicate that and if not replicate it, improve on it. But it’s a tall order.”

ON SATURDAY’S GAME:

“If we can play better than we played against England it would be great but it would be more important if we won the game.

“I wasn’t sure how Scotland would approach the game until this morning when I read comments from their forwards coach George Graham. He said this was the best Scottish pack for many a year. I suspect that means they will try and beat us up in the forwards.

“Their game plan will be to take us on up front and give our pack a good battering. They’ve thrown down a marker with what they’ve said about their pack.

“Defensively the Scottish lineout is one of the best in the world. On average they poach 30 percent of opposition ball, which is a pretty good statistic.

“I’m sure they will target our lineout and try to deny us that platform. It will be a very intense game, with no quarter asked or given.”

ON THE TRIPLE CROWN:

“There is always the danger that familiarity breeds contempt but I still think the Triple Crown is worth winning. I suppose if we win too many Triple Crowns, people will write them off, but for a long time, we’d have bought the lid of it if we could have.

“Now we have two with the possibility of a third. Beating three of the home nations every year is great if you can do it.

“People are getting blasé about them (Triple Crowns) but it’s the next goal we can achieve and it’s worth achieving. But it will only happen if we go to Murrayfield and win.”

ON GIRVAN DEMPSEY:

“I’ve always been a fan of Girvan I suppose, there is no secret in that. As a full-back he ticks all the boxes. He’s a very consistent player, whether he has the football or hasn’t. He’s a superb tackler. His positional sense is magnificent. One of the telling things about Girvan is that you rarely see him let a ball bounce.

“Going forward he takes a lot of stick about not being able to do X, Y or Z, but he’s very consistent with the ball. He doesn’t lose the ball and he runs good lines.

“A full-back is like a goalkeeper. It’s great when they are exciting but when they are too exciting, at times they can be worry.”

ON ISAAC BOSS’ SHOULDER INJURY:

“Isaac has bruised his AC joint and it will take at least a week to heal.

“We’ll have a look again early next week but I wouldn’t be over optimistic about his chances for Italy. It will be tight.”

ON BOSS’ REPLACEMENT EOIN REDDAN:

“He’s a very good passer of the ball, he’s a very smart footballer. I think he reads the game very well. With the type of game Wasps play, he’s a key player for them in terms of managing their pack – he keeps their pack going forward.

“The way he distributes, he passes, he kicks, he runs, he keeps changing the landscape for the defence. So, in that respect he’s a very smart footballer.”