Easterby appointed as Irish forwards coach

IRFU have announced appointment of the former Irish international.

The IRFU have announced that the former Irish international, Simon Easterby, is to join the Irish set-up as the new forwards coach and will begin his new role in October.

Easterby is coming from Welsh rugby club Scarlets where he has been head coach since 2012. He has been involved with the club since 2003, playing for them until 2010 and immediately joining the coaching team on his retirement.

VIDEO @scarlets_rugby legend Simon Easterby's memories, thank yous and the future #ScarletsTV http://t.co/n12EkToepa

— Scarlets Rugby (@scarlets_rugby) July 17, 2014

Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt welcomed the appointment.

“Simon has tremendous test match experience combined with an in-depth knowledge of the current National Squad players,” said Schmidt.

“He is well known to Irish rugby supporters and to many of the players and his knowledge and experience will help drive the team forward.”

The 38-year-old is a former Ireland captain, who won 65 caps before his international retirement in 2008.

He also took part in the 2005 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand.

Easterby spoke with enthusiasm about his new role, saying: “It's an exciting time to be involved in Irish rugby and I am looking forward to helping the team continue to be as competitive as possible.”