On Rugby: The wheels appear to be coming off Team Ireland. And, as we saw even with a World Cup winner, once that happens it's hard to pull in on the side of the road and replace them all simultaneously.

In the case of Clive Woodward's England, after the 2003 World Cup, there was, of course, a huge turnover in personnel, and none was missed more than the phenomenal, natural-born leader Martin Johnson.

The comparison with Ireland and Brian O'Driscoll is not entirely valid, because even by his admission O'Driscoll is not such a natural leader. Then again, who is?

Nonetheless, Eddie O'Sullivan has invested just as much faith and importance in O'Driscoll as he did in Keith Wood up to the 2003 World Cup, perhaps even more so. O'Driscoll and Gordon D'Arcy, especially in the latter's pomp of two seasons ago when pitched in to midfield alongside the skipper, were the players entrusted the most to play what they saw in front of them.

So much of Ireland's game revolved around getting quick ball via skip passes to that outside-centre channel and then letting one or other of the two have a go.

It was interesting to hear O'Sullivan's response last week when asked about the question of leadership on the pitch after the one-dimensional approach to the All Blacks game, when there seemed a palpable lack of leadership on the pitch.

In maintaining that Simon Easterby led the side well, the Irish coach pointed out that the team were missing two of their main "talismen" in O'Driscoll and Paul O'Connell, while two others, Anthony Foley and Reggie Corrigan, were "missing through selection".

Perhaps it's no more than a choice of word, but O'Sullivan never actually used the words leader or captain. O'Driscoll was indeed both captain and "talisman", but it's almost as if the leadership qualities which someone like Foley brings are either misunderstood or mistrusted.

Coincidentally or not, on the three occasions Foley has been missing through selection in the last six seasons, Ireland have lost the lot and conceded 118 points.

Ultimately, though, if a team is to reach their potential, to keep progressing and go to that next level, surely all the players have to be trusted more than appears to be the case under the O'Sullivan regime?

Surely O'Sullivan - for all his talk of bringing in a new defensive coach and the settling-in period that requires, of defensive mistakes, of difficulties in the lineout, of so many clean line-breaks being botched by individual errors, of the excellence of the opposition - has to take some responsibility for the concession of 75 points in the last two demoralising weekends?

And for all the talk of a team in transition, of developing a new ball-in-hand game after becoming, by his own admission, too predictable last season, of the injured talisman, there is huge disquiet out there, among supporters, former players and coaches, that this team looks increasingly void of direction, self-confidence and enthusiasm.

O'Sullivan can be prickly in response to any personal criticism, although he seemed to be keeping his spirits up as the bullets started to fly in the last week or so, and the next few months look like being a test of his temperament.

Although a technically clever coach, with a fine appreciation of the breakdown area, space, analysing the opposition, and one who can never be accused of lacking a work ethic, O'Sullivan has been accused of applying a version of American Football methods to the Irish team, ie, rugby by numbers, by hitherto his most loyal friend in punditry land, and of allowing too many biases against individual players, especially some of those based abroad.

But the most glaring has been the continuing omission of David Wallace to provide some dynamic ball-carrying to a backrow, and especially a pack, that is lacking in this department. This is all the more curious given the stated desire to develop a more ball-in-hand game.

Three years ago against Australia, then world champions and a vastly better, more confident team than the one which beat Ireland 30-14 at the weekend, O'Sullivan showed a greater appreciation of this need by recalling Victor Costello, supposedly one of the coach's least favourite players and on ewhom many had suspected would never play for Ireland again, after a near three-year absence.

Granted, the aquaplaning conditions perhaps suited Ireland and a limited game-plan better, but Costello was accommodated at number six alongside Foley, and after carrying the ball all day was rightly named man of the match in launching his second coming.

This Irish team looks in need of an infusion of fresh faces, of more physicality, of more enthusiasm, and even of liberation.

Looking to the longer term, it needs all the coaches working in much greater harmony.

In this, Graham Henry has shown the way in New Zealand, not just in having the self-assurance to bring in the likes of Wayne Smith and Steve Hansen, but working with all the NPC and Super 12 coaches.

O'Sullivan communicates with the provincial coaches, Mark McCall, Michael Cheika and the Munster assistant, Jim Williams, but has seen good coaches come and go, and enjoyed frosty relationships - at best - with Declan Kidney and Matt Williams, to name but two, even when both were in the Irish system.

Last June, after their whitewash of the Lions, Henry and his think tank had a brainstorming conference with all the NPC and Super 12 coaches, sharing a host of information with all those assembled, from their analysis of the opposition to nutritional information, players' weights programmes and the like. They also sought feedback and ideas from all the coaches present so that everyone was, to coin that cliched phrase, singing from the same hymn sheet.

What chance of Ireland doing the same?