Kieran Shannon: Patience in the process pays off with Stephen Kenny and Andy Farrell

Not every manager deserves more time. Often bad results are due to bad practices and bad processes behind the scene. But crucially when Kenny and Farrell were losing games they never lost the dressing room

Ireland manager Stephen Kenny hugs Callum Robinson after Sunday’s 3-0 win over Luxembourg. ‘Kenny had the courage to deviate from the tyranny of the normal,’ writes our columnist. Picture: John Walton/PA

So at least that’s settled then. After the results and not just the performances of the last 10 days that finishes any chat or conjecture about whether Andy Farrell is or isn’t the man to lead Ireland into the 2023 Rugby World and if Stephen Kenny should be over the other boys in green — or orange — for not just the Nations League but the Euro 2024 qualifiers. They’ve each earned at least that much time.

It’s worth remembering though that not that long ago there were calls for them to not even be given the time to win the right to that extended time.