Garry Ringrose: Andy Farrell brings out his ruthless side when he needs to

'I’ve said to the lads that I want an honest environment. I don’t want to give them false information, false hope'

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell: Personable but ruthless when the situation requires it

Over a year into the Andy Farrell era and the jury remains in session. Ireland have waxed and waned in eleven games under the head coach. For every suggestion of progress there has been a stutter, most obviously when faced with the English or the French.

Taking over from Joe Schmidt was never going to be easy, even when the Kiwi’s last year in charge fell so far short of expectations. As his assistant and successor, Farrell needed to reboot a side that had gone stale and change the mood music internally.