Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan said he would not make an immediate decision on his future after Saturday's 33-10 defeat to England reduced his side to their worst Six Nations finish in almost a decade.

Ireland finished outside the top three for the first time since 1999 and, following last year's feeble World Cup group stage exit, the coach's position after seven years in charge is in increasing peril.

"At this moment in time, I'm not making any decisions about anything," O'Sullivan told a news conference after his side suffered their third championship defeat of the campaign, a 33-10 shellacking at Twickenham.

"What we always do after every tournament is I'll meet with the IRFU [Irish Rugby Football Union] and discuss the bigger picture."

Solitary home victories over Italy and Scotland will offer little solace but the coach, who signed a new four-year contract on the eve of the World Cup, said he still had the support of the IRFU.

"I've always had the support of the IRFU, as long as I've been in the job I was always given 110 per cent support in anything I've done ... in how we built the team, how we built everything around it."

O'Sullivan, who lost Denis Leamy (shoulder), Geordan Murphy (calf) and most seriously David Wallace (leg) to injury during the defeat, said he was still the man to lead the team forward.

"Absolutely, I do. I think the big question for me is have I got the hunger for the job and 100 per cent I have the hunger. I love this job and if I felt I couldn't give 110 per cent, I'd be the first to admit that."

Ireland's first loss in five to England came one week after a listless 16-12 home defeat to grand slam winners Wales and followed a narrow defeat in Paris last month.

"It's been a disappointing championship for us. We didn't have a good start against Italy but I thought the performance in France was excellent," O'Sullivan said.

"We had a good performance against Scotland and a setback against Wales, I think is the best way to put it. We tried to pick it up again today but it didn't happen."

Flyhalf Ronan O'Gara, who assumed the captaincy for the day from injured centre Brian O'Driscoll, shared his coach's disappointment.

"I think at the minute players have to look inside themselves and have a little bit more pride in our performance," the Munster No.10 said. "We need to start delivering on a consistent basis. We've to reassess and see where we're going from here."

Reuters