Andy Farrell will draw on Ireland’s All Blacks experience

Andy Farrell will take as much from Ireland’s defeat to the All Blacks last month as from their famous win when he swaps a green tracksuit for the red of the British & Irish Lions and heads to New Zealand next summer.

The former England and current Irish defence coach was yesterday confirmed as one of Warren Gatland’s assistants for the three-Test showdown with the world champions, his second stint with the Lions having performed a similar role on the victorious 2013 tour to Australia.

At Carton House yesterday he was reunited with both Gatland and fellow 2013 alumni, attack coach Rob Howley, with England’s Steve Borthwick the one fresh face having been named forwards coach.

What sets Farrell apart is that he has recent memory of a victory over the All Blacks, having helped defeat Steve Hansen’s side 40-29 in Chicago for Ireland’s first win over the Kiwis in 111 years. As the only country from the Lions family to play the All Blacks during the autumn internationals this year, Ireland’s players and coaches faced them twice, losing an intensely physical return encounter 21-9 in Dublin a fortnight later.

Asked what the biggest things he had learned from the two Tests, Farrell replied: “You need to be at your best.

“I’m not going to indulge in tactics or whatever. It would be foolish of me to do that. You can talk about all aspects of their game; how good it is or who strong it is. We all know the obvious things — counter attack, turnover ball and them being unbelievably clinical.

“You give them four chances, they take three. You give them six chances, they take six or five. They are that clinical. But they are good athletes. They challenge you one-on-one. They’re physical in how they go about their rugby as well and that’s a part of their rugby that has probably been a little bit underestimated over the last about the All Blacks. They’re good athletes and are very challenging one on one.”

Irish players were reminded about that physicality in painful fashion when the All Blacks exacted revenge at the Aviva Stadium and the reaction from the world champions provided another useful insight for Farrell, who had been part of the England management in 2012 when Stuart Lancaster’s team beat them at Twickenham. And Farrell believes New Zealand will be stronger again come next June and July.

“What they did for the return game (on November 19), we knew they were going to be better. We knew they were hurting a little bit; they’re proud, aren’t they? When England beat them last, they came back and gave us a bit of a spanking.

“They are an unbelievably proud nation and they don’t take losing too kindly. You expect them to connect to something emotionally and they connected to the loss, and to the history that everyone talks about with the All Blacks.

“The game takes its own way. They played physically but the game is physical; that’s how the game should be played. There is one thing everyone is saying about the challenge coming up that’s a daunting one on this tour next summer, but the thing is I believe they will be better than they have been over the last couple of years, because it’s a massive part of their history as well.

“Every 12 years it comes around (a Lions tour to New Zealand) and you’re pretty lucky as a player if that happens in your playing days. I expect them to be better than what they have been over the last two years. I expect them to be physically, tactically, and technically as good as ever.”

Farrell’s journey to the 2017 Lions has taken him from the England set-up to life with Ireland under Joe Schmidt, starting at the IRFU having left his home nation following their World Cup pool exit on home soil last October. Selection as a Lions coach for a second time brings him full circle.

“There’s a lot of water gone under the bridge since (2013). Just as excited though. In fact I’d say I’m a little bit more excited now because I had such a great experience on the last one. You use the words privilege and honour a lot but it certainly is true.”