O’Sullivan was reportedly omitted from the travelling party by new club president Nicolas Brusque, as a response to defeats in the opening three games of the ProD2 campaign

Bernard Jackman yesterday described Biarritz Olympique as "a shambles of a club" after their bizarre decision to travel without coach Eddie O'Sullivan to last night's game in Aix en Provence.

O'Sullivan was reportedly omitted from the travelling party by new club president Nicolas Brusque, as a response to defeats in the opening three games of the ProD2 campaign.

Biarritz lost to Pays d'Aix last night 22-11 in O'Sullivan's absence and now sit bottom of the table with just one point.

The Corkman's first year as head coach of the fallen Basque giants resulted in them being denied a place in the promotion play-offs by mere points difference on the final day of the regular season.

But serious budgetary issues led to the loss of nine professionals from their squad this summer, only three of whom have been replaced.

That deficit has had to be bridged by heavy recruitment from the club's academy.

There was also a failed summer attempt to join forces with Basque neighbours Bayonne, which reputedly led to nine players being told they were surplus to requirements only to then face a reprieve when a club EGM rejected the proposed amalgamation.

And stories in the French media last week suggested player unrest over the role of backs coach Pierre Chadebech, one of two assistants imposed upon O'Sullivan by former club president Serge Blanco.

Jackman, head coach of Grenoble in the Top 14, was adamant yesterday that his former Ireland boss is being asked to work in a "next-to-impossible environment".

O'Sullivan still has more than a year of his contract to run and it remains to be seen if he will be back in the changing-room for next month's home game with Lyon.

Speaking from France yesterday, Jackman observed "Certainly the information that I have is that he's very well regarded there, that he's doing a good job.

"But people don't understand how difficult that situation is that he walked into. In Ireland, they see Biarritz and they think back to the Millennium Stadium and Munster winning a Heineken Cup final against them.

"But Biarritz are a far cry from those days. They're an absolute shambles of a club, in complete disarray."

Irish Independent