Ireland women: Eddie O'Sullivan says letter to government was 'nuclear option'
- Published
Ireland hooker Cliodhna Moloney, who is among the current players to sign the later, described comments made by IRFU women's rugby director Anthony Eddy in November as "slurry spreading"
Ex-Ireland men's coach Eddie O'Sullivan says Irish women's players past and present directly contacting the Irish Government about their grievances with the IRFU is the "nuclear option".
The letter to the government outlining a loss of "all trust and confidence" in the IRFU was made public on Monday.
"It does bring the IRFU huge questions to answer," O'Sullivan told Radio Ulster's Sportsound Extra Time.
"Will the IRFU act or how will they act? It's very hard to ignore this."
Recently retired captain Ciara Griffin and a host of current internationals are among the 59 signatories.
The letter requests government support in enacting "meaningful change" in the women's game in Ireland.
In response, the IRFU said that it "refutes the overall tenor of the document" and is "disappointed" by the timing of it.
The letter was the latest development in an increasingly fraught Irish rugby's governing body and its elite female players, some of whom publicly rebuked comments made by the IRFU's women's rugby director Anthony Eddy in November regarding the level of support offered to the women's game.
Hooker Cliodhna Moloney, who received backing from her team-mates after likening Eddy's comments to "slurry spreading", is among the current players to have signed the letter along with Sene Naoupu, Linda Djougang, Eimear Considine, Sam Monaghan, Kathryn Dane, Laura Sheehan, Lauren Delany, Ailsa Hughes, Anna Caplice, Nichola Fryday, Leah Lyons and more.
Other former players Claire Molloy, Lynne Cantwell, Grace Davitt and Jenny Murphy joined ex-skipper Griffin in being among ex-internationals to sign the letter.
Ireland players' past and present grievances with the IRFU appear to have been brought to a head by the team's failure to qualify for next year's World Cup
IRFU 'must take letter seriously' - O'Sullivan
In October the IRFU launched two reviews into recent failings in the game - one directly relating to the team's failure to qualify for next year's World Cup and the second, a broader structural review.
O'Sullivan added that the players' decision to bypass the game's governing body and directly air their complaints to the Irish Government puts the IRFU on a "sticky wicket".
"Obviously we're at the breaking point with the women who feel the game is not being managed properly. They don't have confidence in the IRFU. That's a huge accusation to make," added O'Sullivan, who coached the Ireland men's team from late late 2001 until March 2008.
"They (the IRFU) will take it seriously. There's no question about that. They have to.
"It's in the public domain now and something the IRFU can't run away from but at the same time, this may be thrashed out in public and is that the best environment to do that?
"The government is in a difficult position as well because how do they insert themselves in this without taking sides."
More detail needed on grievances - O'Sullivan
O'Sullivan believes the players' decision to contact the Irish Government - and make the letter public - may be a pre-emptive strategy to ensure that the current reviews don't end up "gathering dust on a shelf".
"There's been a lot of frustration that these findings which the IRFU do, whether they be the men's or the women's game, tend to be kept in-house, with very little information made available from them.
"So I think what they are doing is bringing it front and centre."
O'Sullivan does believe the women's players should give more detail on what their grievances are.
"It probably would be good if they came out and publicly told people what they meant by that because some of the words used like "inequitable and untrustworthy" are very strong. What do they mean by that?
Former captain Ciara Griffin (middle), who retired last month aged 27, is among 59 past and present players to have signed the letter
"A starting point for the women might be to say 'this is what the IRFU didn't supply us with in order for us to qualify for the World Cup'."
O'Sullivan added that the "only real pressure the government can bring it to threaten funding".
"If you are taking taxpayers' money, you do have an obligation and I think the IRFU are on a sticky wicket by not being more open about the reporting back on these reviews that they do."
Following the players' letter on Monday, the IRFU said that it is "fully committed to the development of the women's game based on a sustainable structure, from grassroots up to international level".
"It is disappointing that this group should chose now to come out with a series of allegations, given all involved in Irish Rugby are fully aware that two well resourced, independent reviews are in train and it is from these reviews that lessons, based on fact, can be learned and the foundations built which will serve the women's game well for future generations."