Andy Farrell embracing the challenge as Ireland head to France

Farrell was licking his lips for this IRFU-organised awayday even before his side had dispatched England by five tries to one in their last game on home soil before the World Cup

RESPECT: Ireland head coach Andy Farrell with Owen Farrell and Manu Tuilagi of England after the game. Pic: INPHO/Dan Sheridan

Ireland on Monday begin preparations for Saturday night’s final warm-up Test before the World Cup as Andy Farrell puts his squad through what he described a tournament trial run in France this week.

From a Sunday morning flight from Dublin to their training base for the week in Biarritz to an evening kick-off against Samoa in Bayonne this Saturday, the Ireland head coach has planned a schedule to mimic timetables, weather conditions and even the bureaucratic rigmarole his final squad of 33 players will face when the World Cup starts in earnest in three weeks.