Former Irish rugby coach Mick Doyle was "incensed and distressed" over a Sunday Independentarticle which stated that, within two seasons of winning a Triple Crown in 1985, he had become ostracised by the decision-making core among the players, the High Court was told today.
Mr Garrett Cooney SC, for Mr Doyle, was opening libel proceedings taken by Mr Doyle over the article, which was published on February 13th, 2000. The action is against Independent Newspapers (Ireland) Ltd; Sunday Independenteditor Mr Aengus Fanning; and rugby journalist Brendan Fanning, who wrote the article.
The defence admits they published the words concerning Mr Doyle as part of a larger article but denies they did so falsely or maliciously. They also plead the words complained of were true in substance and were fair comment on a matter of public interest.
Mr Doyle (61), a veterinary surgeon, of Sherlockstown, Sallins, Co Kildare, is a former Irish international rugby player and was coach to the Irish team for the years 1984-1987. He is a native of Co Kerry.
It is claimed that the article, by way of Questions and Answers posed by Mr Fanning, was published in the aftermath of a humiliating defeat inflicted on the Irish team by England on February 5th, 2000.
One passage in the article posed the question: "That doesn’t explain how Warren Gatland has had professional players at his disposal for two seasons and has done nothing with them. So why not sack him?"
The answer was: "By all means show Warren Gatland the door, but do so in the knowledge that there is no reason to believe his successor will alter the trend of the last two decades.
"If you want to look at the track records, then Mick Doyle, who was Ireland’s most successful coach of that period, couldn’t manage to break even. And within two seasons of winning a Triple Crown in 1985 he had become ostracised by the decision-making core among the players. Nobody was making a realistic case for him to stay."
Mr Doyle claims the words were defamatory of him and that they meant he was shunned by members of the Irish team during his tenure as coach.
The defence, in its particulars, pleads that by the latter part of his tenure, senior squad players had lost confidence in Mr Doyle and he was ostracised by them. It pleads that, prior to the match against Scotland in 1986, Mr Doyle was asked to leave the team’s dressing room.
The hearing continues tomorrow.