Andy Farrell: 'The Six Nations has just started for us now'

Head coach Andy Farrell.

There was a time in Irish rugby when the very notion of looking beyond the Five or Six Nations for a higher peak would have been unthinkable. Not just in the bad old days of wooden spoons. In more recent and affluent times too.

Andy Farrell’s side are two-fifths of the way towards a first ever back-to-back Grand Slam in the Six Nations era and yet a routine missive from South Africa early yesterday reminds us that this spring campaign is, in a way, more akin to a shoulder than the summit.

Two tests lie ahead against the Springboks in July. That they are world champions adds enormously to the challenge. That the games will be played in the totemic venues of Loftus Versfeld and King’s Park only adds to the sense of anticipation.

And the last meeting, in Paris, was epic.

Yesterday’s news from the southern hemisphere wasn’t earth-shattering in itself, just a notice that Rassie Erasmus would be starting his 2024 body of work by bringing 43 of his players together for a two-day ‘alignment’ camp in Cape Town next month.

Four will fly in from Japan but the vast majority will be home-based. Among those invited are Eben Etzebeth, Vincent Koch, Bongi Mbonambi, Faf de Klerk and Damian Willemse. Nineteen in all were involved in retaining the Webb Ellis in France.

Jerry Flannery, recently confirmed as the new defence coach, will be there too. So will Tony Brown, the Kiwi whose capture as attack coach is seen as something of a coup for the South Africans who have lost Jacques Nienaber and Felix Jones from their staff.

“The focus at this camp will be to get everyone on the same page for the 2024 season and we believe this will lay a good foundation for us looking forward,” said Erasmus whose side also has home dates with Portugal, New Zealand and Argentina to come.

“Jerry (Flannery) and Tony (Brown) are going to play vital roles in this coaching team, and we are excited to see them along with our other coaching staff put proper steps into action as we prepare for the challenging season ahead.” 

None of this is to minimise the stakes for Ireland this next month or so. Farrell framed the next three games in a different light after the easy round two defeat of Italy in Dublin when pointing out that all three Triple Crown games are still to be contested.

It was a handy way to reset the focus.

“The tournament has just started for us now,” he said.

They look in good shape for it. Hugo Keenan has been included in this week’s training squad despite fears over a knee injury sustained last time out. Iain Henderson is also listed despite a foot injury suffered with Ulster against Ospreys.

The Munster pair of Oli Jager and Thomas Ahern have also been drafted in.

Silverware isn’t the only carrot for them all here. If elongating a winning record that now stands at 19 in their last 20 games is another motivator then keeping the foot to the throat of their nearest neighbours has to be a priority of similar importance.

Warren Gatland brings an inexperienced and decidedly average Wales team to Dublin this Saturday and it will be a blot on Ireland’s copybook far greater than that World Cup quarter-final loss to New Zealand if they fail to take advantage there.

Ireland have won six of their last seven games against the Welsh and had they edged the 2022 meeting in Cardiff with 14 men, which they probably should, then they would be in historic territory in that particular head-to-head.

Beat England in Twickenham and it will be only the second five-in-a-row against the old enemy. The first came between 1972 and 1976 when the Red Rose was wilting on a perennial basis and Steve Borthwick’s men are hardly in full bloom now either.

That they keep winning more often than owes in large part to the shortcomings of recent opponents in the World Cup and in this Six Nations and talk of this being Ireland’s stiffest test from here on in says more about the tournament itself than England’s limited abilities.

And then there are the Scots at the Aviva. Gregor Townsend’s side have allied some brilliant rugby with some baffling no-shows, sometimes in the same game, but they have lost nine on the spin to Ireland now and 13 from the last 14 meetings.

The one glitch in that run was a shock win at Croke Park in 2010 which, notably, denied the home team a Triple Crown. Everything we know about this Ireland team tells us that a repeat won't be happening next month and that the summer tour will be the apex of this season.