Theories don't stand up to test

Turbulence and speculation off the field, significant triumphs and achievements on it. Another week of adventure and controversy in Irish rugby. Never a dull moment.

The departure of Warren Gatland as Irish coach could be a defining moment in the history of Irish rugby. Will it be a decision that sees the Ireland team reach new heights under the guidance of new coach Eddie O'Sullivan and his assistant Declan Kidney? Time will reveal that. They face a formidable task and severe judgment, bearing in mind the circumstances of their appointment.

There is a lot of sympathy for Gatland and that is absolutely understandable. The circumstances surrounding his departure made that inevitable. It is understandable, too, that the reason for his departure has been the subject of acute speculation.

The theories have been many as to why he is gone and so have the accusations directed at those who made that decision. So let us try and examine some of them. The decision has variously been described as disgraceful, harsh, prejudiced, and, in contrast, brave. Take your pick.

Gatland, whose contract ran to next April, asked for the review of that contract six months ago and subsequently brought that into the public domain some weeks ago. Not the most prudent thing to do, but that was not an issue of consequence.

It has been suggested that being from New Zealand did not help his cause; his relationship with O'Sullivan was strained; his personal relationship with the members of the IRFU was not comfortable; his close Connacht connections worked against him, and that his successor went into the review meeting armed with an offer from the US and used that as a lever in negotiations.

Let's take the last of those issues first. It is true that O'Sullivan did have an approach - if not necessarily a concrete offer - from the US. But, as O'Sullivan put it himself, he knew better than to try to force the hand of his employers.

"The IRFU do not bend to threats and I would have been very foolish to try and use that as a lever," he said. "I had 12 months of my contract to run, six months as assistant Irish coach and six more as a staff coach and, of course, I was anxious to get an extension to that contract. But I would have been quite prepared to get that extension and work on with Warren."

On the matter of players' reaction, he said: "The Irish manager Brian O'Brien and myself had a two-hour meeting with Keith Wood, the Ireland team captain, on Saturday morning less than 24 hours after the announcement about the coach, and everything about the meeting was totally positive in every possible respect." Now that is revealing.

Gatland is a quiet and decent man. But while his personal relationships with members of the IRFU would not have been close, it was scarcely a factor, as he worked with the union for three and half years, the longest tenure of any Ireland coach.

Furthermore, if they wanted to get rid of him for any of those reasons they had the ideal opportunity after the World Cup defeat and the debacle at Twickenham. Many in that vague and fickle force, the public mind, were singing a different tune then. The IRFU stood behind him.

The question of Gatland being from New Zealand scarcely stands up as a factor in his departure. Two of the three most recent Irish coaches were from New Zealand.

O'Sullivan's Connacht connections are closer than those of Gatland. He lives in Co Galway, taught there, and was coach and assistant coach with Connacht for the best part of seven years.

There is a belief that the IRFU sought to hide behind a confidentiality clause. At times the IRFU and other sports organisations are not forthcoming on controversial issues. At times, it works to their detriment and they hide behind confidentiality clauses. That is not so in this instance.

The confidentiality clause was a mutual agreement made between the IRFU and Gatland and his legal representative when the terms under which he left the IRFU were agreed. In all the circumstances, that is as well and maybe, too, more beneficial to Gatland that it should be thus. The confidentiality clause was not imposed on Gatland - on the contrary, public perception is not always the truth, and I will leave it at that.

Those who made the decision to change the coach have taken a calculated risk. The easy option was to maintain the status quo. They did not take the easy option in the belief they had a better alternative. One may query the wisdom of the decision. However, to attribute wrong motives is to question the integrity of those who made it.

It would scarcely be in the best interests of the IRFU, the national team or the game were they motivated by any factor other than the belief that what they did was to put together a management team that is better than what was in place.

O'Sullivan and Kidney have proved their worth as coaches. Now they must work in harmony. The great improvement in Ireland's performances did coincide with O'Sullivan's arrival, and that is not to take from Gatland's contribution. O'Brien has worked with both O'Sullivan and Kidney and is confident they will make a formidable team.