Ultimately, the end came swiftly. On Monday Warren Gatland was interviewed by a six-man IRFU sub-committee. By Wednesday he was summoned to another meeting with the sub-committee's chairman, Eddie Coleman, and the union's chief executive, Philip Browne, when Coleman informed Gatland his services were no longer required.

By yesterday lunchtime, the rumours already in full circulation, a brief IRFU statement confirmed as much. Word is that the meeting went on for eight minutes, but it's hard to imagine it even lasting that long.

Coleman informed a stunned Irish coach that his services would no longer be required, and that the decision had been made in the best interests of Irish rugby. It's not thought that any real explanation was given to him, nor was one being aired by the union yesterday.

Between Wednesday afternoon's short, sharp interview in the Berkeley Court and the announcement of Gatland's removal as Irish coach after a three-and-half year, 38-game reign just after lunchtime yesterday, much of the intervening time was taken up with negotiations to iron out the termination of his contract and the wording of the statement.

Aside from confirming that a new management triumvirate of O'Sullivan as head coach, Declan Kidney as assistant coach and Brian O'Brien as manager had been contracted until the conclusion of the 2004 World Cup, a brief statement attributed to Browne cast little light on exactly why Gatland had been removed, beyond highlighting his "significant contribution" and citing the union's "major investment . . . (in) our team so that it consistently competes at the highest levels of world rugby.

"Following on-going and detailed reviews, it was agreed that it is in the best interests of all concerned to end the contract with immediate effect."

Gatland was then quoted as saying: "I want to thank the players and wish them all the best for the future. I look forward to fulfilling a new challenge in rugby." This rather pointedly did not include good wishes toward the union or his successor.

It is believed that, like his two immediate predecessors, Murray Kidd and Brian Ashton, Gatland received a handsome package which includes a confidentiality clause.

The statement says: "It has been agreed that Warren Gatland will not continue as Irish coach."

It's worth stressing that the union officials did not break the habit of a century and actually consult the players about changing the Gatland-Eddie O'Sullivan ticket to an O'Sullivan-Declan Kidney combination. The players appear to be even more shocked than the rest of us.

"Unbelievable, I can't fathom it," said one. "That's disgusting, that's absolutely disgusting," said another as the word began to spread around lunchtime. "He's been royally shafted," opined yet another.

Needless to say, players are reluctant to put their careers at jeopardy by putting their names to these comments.

There has always been an arrogant streak running through the core of the IRFU. In the annals of their smug history an admission of a mistake is a collector's item. This arrogance was evidenced in the backslappers' ball that was the lamentable Evolution of Irish Rugby series, in which various union officers applauded themselves for the IRFU's "masterstroke" of keeping the players in Ireland at the outset of professionalism. In rewriting history, this conveniently overlooked the exodus of Irish players to England, and that a reactive rather than pro-active union had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the professional age.

Nevertheless, now there's a feeling within high-powered union circles that because they finally did get the structures right, somehow "they", the union, duly deserve greater reward. That they have a divine right to preside over Grand Slam-winning Irish sides and the like.

After all, that was Gatland's only failure in the disrupted Six Nations championship which has just been completed.

Which, as an aside, also raises the question: why was Murrayfield only Gatland's failure?

But that lamentable defeat to Scotland apart, Ireland won four championship games - their biggest haul since the Grand Slam of 1948. They inflicted England with their only defeat in their last 15 games, and were European Cup rules applied, Ireland would actually now be champions.

If there was a time to sack Gatland then surely it was after the World Cup defeat to Argentina in Lens, or the ensuing 50-19 defeat at Twickenham. Now, after just four defeats in 15 games since and a run of five wins in seven, it doesn't stack up.

Undoubtedly, the union powerbrokers, whom Gatland did not go out of his way to find favour with and whose relationships with the coach had deteriorated, took exception to Gatland agitating for an extended contract.

A good man and a good coach, he deserved better than this. You can't help but feel that he suffered for being a New Zealander, an outsider, even though he's been living in Ireland and coaching at club, provincial and national level in Irish rugby for most of the last decade, and was far more committed to Irish rugby than either of his two non-Irish predecessors.

It was perhaps also his misfortune that his base and his greatest allegiances emanated from poor old Connacht.

To some extent at least, he was undone by the machinations of Irish rugby. This one has a bad smell to it.

There also appear to be some flaws in the decision to break up a Gatland-O'Sullivan ticket in favour of an O'Sullivan-Declan Kidney ticket.

It disrupts a successful formula midway through a World Cup cycle, and potentially might do likewise to Munster in mid-season.

And if Gatland and O'Sullivan were hardly bosom buddies, then at first glance the O'Sullivan-Kidney twosome (with O'Sullivan switching to the forwards and Kidney taking the backs) seems even less like a marriage made in heaven.

Accountability? Of one thing we can be sure: if this decision backfires, the last people to do the honourable thing and offer their heads on the block will be the people who made it.

Within the IRFU, it was ever thus.

Background to the week by Gerry Thornley, reaction, Ireland's record under Gatland and profiles of the new management team - see page 3