Ireland coaching group starts to disband

AS THE public await the latest IRFU review on the Six Nations, Eddie O'Sullivan's backroom staff are already beginning to disband.

Mike McGurn, the Ireland team's long-serving strength-and-conditioning coach, will today be interviewed by the New Zealand RFU about the vacant conditioning position with the All Blacks. And the Ireland skills coach, Bryan McLoughlin, is returning to his teaching post.

Although he is the longest-serving conditioning coach in world rugby and is hugely popular with and respected by the Ireland squad for the quality of his work, McGurn's contract is due to expire at the end of this month and the IRFU have given him no indication a new one will be on offer; somewhat typical of the vacuum Union prevarication tends to create.

The position with the All Blacks became vacant when Ashley Jones and Graham Lowe moved on to work with Canterbury Crusaders and New Zealand's America's Cup team respectively.

The NZRFU then encouraged McGurn to apply for the position and invited him to fly out for an interview.

They have never before given a coaching role of this importance to anyone from outside New Zealand, but the Fermanagh-born McGurn - who, incidentally, never played rugby union - is on a shortlist of no more than three.

McGurn joined the Ireland set-up in January 2002, shortly after the appointment of O'Sullivan as head coach in November 2001, having trained the St Helens rugby league team that won the treble of Challenge Cup, Super League and World Club Championship in 2000-2001.

Meanwhile, it is understood McLaughlin will return to a teaching career in September after his three-year sabbatical from RBAI, where he was head of physical education, having linked up with O'Sullivan, his long-time friend, in a full-time capacity in September 2005.

A former backrower with Ards until injury brought a premature end to his career, McLaughlin guided RBAI to six Schools Cup finals in 10 years, winning five.

As well as spells in club coaching with Malone, Instonians, and Ballymena, he also worked alongside O'Sullivan when the Irish under-21s won a Triple Crown in 1996 and the following year beat Clive Woodward's England and Scotland after losing to France and Wales.