Farrell: Ireland to 'attack' first week and 'build-up' into World Cup 

The Irish head coach Andy Farrell insisted what has been done is done and his squad was all about what was around the next corner.

HIT THE GROUND RUNNING: Head coach Andy Farrell, left, and national scrum coach John Fogarty during the Ireland Rugby World Cup 2023 welcome ceremony at Le Grand Théâtre de Tours in France. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Andy Farrell has promised Ireland will “attack” their first week at the Rugby World Cup as the Six Nations champions prepare for next Saturday’s Pool B opener against Romania.

Any thoughts of a slow build into a pool campaign that concludes with matches against in-form defending champions South Africa on September 23 and championship rivals Scotland on October 7 were dismissed as the Ireland boss looked ahead to his first World Cup as a head coach.

The former Wigan and Great Britain star played in two Rugby League World Cups and another for England after switching codes to rugby union. He has also been an assistant coach in two Rugby World Cups, with Stuart Lancaster’s England in 2015 and Joe Schmidt’s Ireland four years ago in Japan.

Yet for all that experience, the Irish head coach insisted what has been done is done and his squad was all about what was around the next corner.

"I've never thought about it, to be honest,” Farrell replied when asked if there were any differences in the tournament experience as a head coach.

“It's the job in hand, busy and all that, trying to use your experience of World Cups in general. It's more excitement than anything else to finally get here. There's a lot of water that's gone under the bridge, but we are at the business end now aren't we, so we're excited where we are at."

Farrell added he would lean on his previous World Cup experience then said: “But more so how we’re going to step forward, how we’re going to attack the first week and the build-up into that and the rest of the tournament thereafter. It’s all about the here and now.”

Ireland on Saturday completed some pre-tournament formalities in Tours, the city in the Loire Valley that will be their training base for the pool stages. They staged an open training session in front of 12,000 spectators in the morning that was abbreviated to a light warm-up and interaction with the crowd due to a fungus-damaged playing surface at Stade de la Vallee du Cher.

After a behind closed doors session across town at their purpose-built training centre, Stade de la Chambrerie, the squad, management and backroom staff attended their official welcome ceremony at the ornate Grand Theatre du Tours.

The players were given a standing ovation from a full house of guests and civic dignitaries then listened as the city’s orchestra performed music from Riverdance and Ireland’s call followed by speeches from the mayor of Tours, the president of the d’Indre-et-Loire and former Ireland captain and Rugby World Cup Ltd board member Brian O’Driscoll.

Then came the presentation of tournament caps and medals for each player and gifts of a bottle of Loire Valley wine, an art installation from a local artist and a wooden replica of the French Top 14’s Bouclier de Brennus trophy.

“It was an incredible welcome ceremony, we feel incredibly lucky to be here in Tours,” Ireland prop Andrew Porter said afterwards. “There were some lovely words said by the president of the area and the mayor as well. We are incredibly lucky to be here.”