O’Driscoll talk angers Ulster

JONO GIBBES has admitted it will be the IRFU, not Ulster, who decides whether Joey Carbery, Ross Byrne or any other Irish-qualified outhalf moves to Belfast this summer.

While reluctant to get involved in a slagging match with Irish rugby legend Brian O’Driscoll, who on Monday labelled Ulster ‘a little bit of a basket case’ and sympathised with Carbery and Byrne if either is pushed north, the head coach insisted any potential new Irish signing would be ‘a good story’.

‘I don’t really know why he’s talking about Carbery or Byrne. I don’t know what it’s got to do with us,’ Gibbes said.

‘We work in a system where if we need to add or supplement what we’ve got, we need to go to the IRFU for that. Their preference is always Irish qualified players, it’s our job to help build Irish internationals.

‘When they’re not available you might look at a foreign player and that’s in consultation with them and it’s a partnership. That’s what we do. It’s a position we will look to add to and supplement.’

Ulster’s operations director Bryn Cunningham hinted at the weekend that the IRFU might allow the province an extra overseas player to compensate for the ‘special circumstances’ which led to the departure of their leading number 10.

But an Irish-qualified out-half is the clear preference for all parties, with Bristol’s Ian Madigan and Munster’s Ian Keatley perhaps also in the conversation.

‘On balance it [out-half] is a position we would look to add to. We work with the union on how that’s facilitated.

‘Those guys [Carbery and Byrne) aren’t in our conversations. They’re Leo’s [Cullen] responsibility, he is responsible for Leinster and Joe is responsible for Ireland and making the national team as competitive as possible. We’re not really part of that situation. It’s a good story, I think.’

O’Driscoll’s comments clearly irked Ulster back-row forward Sean Reidy, who bristled when asked whether the ‘basket case’ remarks had stung the players.

‘There’s no point .... some of the rubbish that goes on in the media nowadays does no-one any good.

‘Look, I’ve got no comment on that. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. If that’s the way he sees it, that’s the way he sees it.

‘Obviously as a group we don’t see it that way. We’re just focused on our own game and what we can do this weekend against Munster.

‘I’ve got nothing against Brian O’Driscoll. He can say what he wants.’

Gibbes added: ‘A guy like that’s played a lot of tests, if he wants to label us a “basket case”, I don’t know what you want me to say about that.

‘You know people are taking the opinion from the outside of Ulster Rugby and, yeah, unfortunately it’s a negative one, but we can’t control that, can we?’