Six Nations News: Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan has confirmed that a new national team backs' coach and a manager would not be appointed ahead of the Six Nations Championship. Ireland's campaign begins on Saturday, February 2nd against Italy at Croke Park.

Speaking at the launch of the new High Performance Select Group (HPSG), O'Sullivan addressed several issues pertaining to the forthcoming campaign. The Irish coach pointed out that the search to augment his backroom team was "ongoing," but that the process wouldn't be expedited just for the sake of it.

He pointed out: "There won't be any appointment made until before the summer tour at this juncture. I think we said after the Genesis report that these appointments would be made but (also) that we wouldn't rush into them and (rather) get the right people for the job.

"It would be foolish to rush into appointments for the sake of making appointments on the back of the report. The appointments will be made but the timeframe would only allow (this to be done) after the Six Nations."

He was also asked to comment on a couple of selection issues arising from the recent squad announcement, specifically relating to the backrow and scrumhalf. "We picked seven backrows; three sixes, two eights and two sevens. The two sevens are David Wallace and Johnny O'Connor. The reason that Johnny O'Connor is in ahead of Keith Gleeson is because I believe his form is better at the moment. There is nothing mystical or extraordinary there.

"If Keith Gleeson's form was better than Johnny O'Connor's, he would be in there. I think that's how selection works on an average day. To suggest that there is something clandestine going on around that (the selection) would be a bit off the mark.

"I think that anyone who has watched Johnny O'Connor - has anyone here watched Johnny O'Connor closely ? - that he's back to the Johnny O'Connor of old who was starting for Ireland a couple of years ago until he had a nasty injury.

"It was very bad, a spinal concussion and the question was whether he would be back; because the way the guy plays the game, it was going to test his mettle. To his credit he has (recovered well) and you have to reward that. It's very easy to focus on the high profile players in the Heineken Cup every week but my job is to look at the bigger picture.

"Johnny has certainly been working his guts out with Connacht and deserves his call-up. It's very tough on Keith Gleeson and Shane Jennings: I'd have to put Shane in there because he was very much in the frame. You can't put everyone in the squad and you have to make those hard decisions. That's the way it's gone this time."

On his decision to include only two scrumhalves in the extended 33-man squad O'Sullivan elaborated: "Isaac has dropped out of the Ulster team; unfortunately his form hasn't been great and I have talked to him about that. I didn't want to stick a name in there just for the sake of it in a Six Nations squad.

"I would like to have had a third scrumhalf in there but I didn't think there was one around at the moment that was firing on all cylinders. It's a worry for me if anything does happen but I'll have to cross that bridge when I come to it. The two form scrumhalves are in and there wasn't a third form scrumhalf to push them."

The Irish coach admitted that he was looking forward to the battle between Peter Stringer (Munster) and Eoin Reddan (Wasps) in Saturday's European Cup match before pointing out that the weekend represented a big occasion for several players trying to muscle into Ireland's 22-man Six Nations match squad. He also explained that the Ireland teams for the two A internationals would be representative of the need to develop players, testing their aptitude for international rugby and that winning was not the primary objective.

O'Sullivan was in Dublin to lend his support to the announcement of the High Performance Select Group for this year. The Ireland coach is involved in the selection.

HPSG: Leinster (6): Luke Fitzgerald*, Cian Healy, Jamie Heaslip*, Trevor Hogan*, Robert Kearney*, Jonathan Sexton; Connacht (2): Daniel Riordan*, Gavin Duffy; Munster (3): Tony Buckley, Donncha Ryan, Denis Hurley; Ulster (5): Tommy Bowe*, Ryan Caldwell, Stephen Ferris*, David Pollock, Bryan Young* . * Member of last year's panel.