Former Ireland manager Eddie O'Sullivan believes that there is more to the Sean Cronin dropping than meets the eye.

Eddie was in studio with Keith Wood on Wednesday Night Rugby, and says that while an 'arm around the shoulder' approach might be a nice idea, that often it requires hard action from a coach to best motivate the player and protect the team.

"He's been hanging in there - fighting - year after year in trying to establish himself. He has been behind Rory Best, which isn't easy. But I certainly do not think that he raised his share value last week, which is why he is now not in the squad," O'Sullivan began.

Some may believe that dropping a player that has had an outstanding season for Leinster might be a harsh move, but Eddie was keen to give a coach's point of view.

"It's a nice conversation [to give Cronin a softer approach] but it is maybe not a realistic one, because he would have been back in training and I am sure that he has conversations with Simon [Easterby.]

"It is not like he just suddenly finds out he is not in the squad. There would have been conversations."

Eddie believes that such two-way chats would have come before the games, in particular Italy.

"We are all speculating this, but I think that there has been a conversation before, during and after and the notion that you should put the arm around the shoulder is a nice thing to do, but they are in a pretty harsh business."

Eddie posited that were Rory Best to come off injured, that the Irish players and staff might be in a position to rely on Cronin when it comes to international form.

Keith Wood and Eddie also discussed the pecking order for the position of hooker, suggesting that Rory Best is still at number one, Rory Scannell second and Rob Herring in third.

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