Farrell picked his fights so Ireland can roll with the punches

Coach's relentless drive to test his squad to their very limits could pay dividends on the fields of France in the coming weeks

Head coach Andy Farrell runs the rule over his players at the World Cup base in Tours on Friday.

We are close to finding out whether Andy Farrell’s drive for his Ireland squad to experience adversity is about to reap its rewards as the Six Nations champions embark on their 2023 World Cup campaign this month.

The head coach’s unquenchable thirst for challenges to his number one-ranked team has at times seemed hellbent on self-harm for a group of players that, to mere mortals, appears to have been pushed to the brink of sanity and reason.