O'Sulluvan - looking to future. (Getty Images)

By Gareth Duggan, PA Sport

Ireland's World Cup adventure may have ended with defeat to France in the quarter-finals, but coach Eddie O'Sullivan is already turning his mind to the future.

O'Sullivan took over in 2001 and built an Ireland team which revels in playing running rugby, based on the efforts of a strong, mobile pack.

He may have lost the services of retiring captain Keith Wood, but O'Sullivan believes the next challenge is to ensure the momentum gathered Down Under is maintained.

"Building to the next World Cup, you don't just empty the cupboard," said O'Sullivan. "You still have to compete at Six Nations level.

"The best way to do it is to make some transitions over the next couple of years and try and get your squad for the next World Cup coming together around 2005.

"If you decide you are going to start from scratch, it is a very traumatic two years as you build that squad."

A key part of that process will be using the experience of players who might not be around for the next tournament in 2007, but do have another two, or even three, seasons left in them.

"There are a few guys with a couple of years to give who will not be going to the next World Cup, but will be very important in building of the next World Cup squad," reflected O'Sullivan.

Among those whom he expects to step forward are prop Marcus Horan, blindside flanker Simon Easterby and winger Shane Horgan.

"A player who will come through who didn't start much for us, but came off the bench and made an impact for us every time is Marcus Horan," said O'Sullivan.

"I thought in the back row, someone like Simon Easterby really came through in the tournament.

"He was out for a year-and-a-half with injury and is back to where he was. I had a lot of faith in him.

"In the backs, Shane Horgan had all that potential, but has been dogged by injury."

O'Sullivan added that several players who had just missed this World Cup were on track to have an impact over the next four years.

"The good news is that there are a few guys at home who were a bit young for this World Cup who should certainly feature in the not-too distant future."

The Irish coach, though, believes it may not be possible for their open approach to continue to reap rewards in the future.

"I still think the game is moving irreversibly towards hand-to-hand combat with the ball," reflected O'Sullivan.

"We have boiled down to the four teams with the most muscle in the world.

"It's getting harder and harder for skill to overcome strength.

"I don't know if we can change that - it's a power sport, a collision sport, so might is right in that sense because it gets results."

O'Sullivan highlighted the lack of success for the less-physical teams, who tried to play a running game, but in the end succumbed to larger, more combative packs.

"If you look in the early rounds, some of the weaker teams played some fantastic rugby," he said.

"The skills from the Japanese were sparkling, fantastic lines of running, beautiful hands, incredibly clinical at the breakdown.

"But then they just get rag-dolled to death in the last 20 minutes in a game and destroyed."

And O'Sullivan believes that is an increasing obstacle - even for well-established rugby nations such as Ireland.

"The game is moving in that direction," he declared. "With the player base we have and pool we come out of, that is a certain worry for us as to how far up the food chain we can work ourselves.

"We can get so far and then hit the big, big teams and it's very hard against them.

"During the first 20 minutes of our quarter-final, the French pummelled the life out of us - and there is not much you can do about it."