BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | International | O'Sullivan's World Cup warning

Eddie O'Sullivan has warned that Ireland's place in the 2003 Rugby World Cup cannot be taken for granted.

The Irish coach said the media were wrong to assume qualification was a formality, a point underlined by Satutrday's tough warm-up game against Romania.

Ireland laboured to a 39-8 victory over the Eastern Europeans in Limerick as they prepared for a trip to Siberia in two weeks to face Russia and then Georgia a week later in Dublin.

Many observers have predicted a safe passage to the finals in Australia next year .

Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan says qualification for the World Cup cannot be taken for granted
Eddie O'Sullivan is worried about Russian game

But O'Sullivan said: "I think it proves that anyone who was talking about these World Cup qualifiers as a done deal would be very foolish.

"We certainly have not been. They will definitely be tough games and going away from home now does not make it any easier.

"There were a lot of sore bodies in the changing room after playing Romania and there are no surprises for us there.

"Sometimes the media join dots that aren't there and make predictions that are not going to happen.

"But I am not taking away from the fact that I'm disappointed by that second-half performance."

The Irish coach added that his side's poor performance having taken a 32-3 lead into the interval was not a case of complacency that their work was done.

Ireland winger Denis Hickie fails to force his way through against Romania
Denis Hickie is held up against Romania

"I would not accept that," he said. "The guys tried very hard but I think sometimes they try too hard.

"They tried to do things that were not on, especially in the second half.

"It was very frustrating trying to play without the ball and I think we had very little ball in the second half."

O'Sullivan said he expected Lions centre Brian O'Driscoll to be fit for the trip to Russia despite limping out just before half-time against the Romanians.

O'Driscoll watched the second half of the game from the stands with his left thigh heavily strapped.

"He has a slight quadricep strain but if he had played on it might have made it worse," said O'Sullivan.

"It was the smart thing to take him off and I would expect him to be available."


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