The time has finally come. Eddie O’Sullivan’s reign as Ireland rugby coach has ended as he held the resignation last night. His fate was sealed by Ireland’s dismal fourth place finish in the RBS 6 Nations, the worst championship performance since 1999.

During his six-year reign he did not get the best out of a richly talented team and failed to take Ireland to the next level, failing twice to land the Grand Slam. At the 2007 Rugby World Cup, Ireland failed to make it out of the group stages following defeats by France and Argentina and poor performance against the Namibia and Georgia.

But let’s not forget what Eddie has achieved during his time as Ireland coach, which makes him Ireland’s most successful coach in history. His record speaks for itself having won 50 of his 78 games in charge. He guided Ireland to three Triple Crowns in four years, winning 24 of 35 Six Nations games, finishing four times runners-up and twice third in his seven campaigns. Two wins over Australia and South Africa as well as four successive victories over England, including the record 43 – 13 win at the Croke Park last year.

The search for the new Ireland Rugby coach will begin soon, with candidates like Pat Howard, Jake White, Alan Gaffney or Wayne Smith as wel as Munster coach Declan Kidney.

Thank you, Eddie.