Simon Easterby sees his future with Ireland

Simon Easterby has been linked with the Wales job since Warren Gatland's departure

FUTURE WITH IRELAND: Ireland interim head coach Simon Easterby, right, speaks with Ireland assistant coach Jonathan Sexton. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

Simon Easterby confirmed his commitment to his Ireland job as he signed off on his Guinness Six Nations campaign as interim head coach.

The IRFU turned to Easterby to step up from his defence coach role to fill the breach when permanent head coach Andy Farrell was seconded to the British & Irish Lions last December to prepare for this summer’s tour to Australia and a Test series against Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies.

The former Ireland and Lions back rower delivered a Triple Crown but could not add a third title in a row in Farrell’s absence and his name was quickly thrown into the ring as a contender to replace Warren Gatland as the next permanent Wales head coach.

Cardiff boss Matt Sherratt was placed in temporary charge for the remainder of the Six Nations campaign following Gatland’s departure after the round-two loss to Italy. Though Sherratt earned plaudits for the Welsh performances that followed against both Ireland and Scotland, he could not prevent Wales end a record-breaking Tier One losing streak and Saturday’s 68-14 hammering by England in Cardiff was the nation’s 17th consecutive Test defeat.

Easterby, a former Scarlets head coach who still lives in Wales, will lead the summer tour to Georgia and Portugal and he denied any contact with the Welsh Rugby Union, reaffirming he saw his coaching future as part of Farrell’s coaching set-up.

“I’m committed. I think when your name gets bandied around, that’s all it is, it’s just speculation,” Easterby said following Ireland’s 22-17 win over Italy in Rome on Saturday. “If I’d been contacted I’d tell you, but I haven’t. So, that’s the way it is at the moment.

“I love what I do. I’m very fortunate and it might be 15 minutes up the road but I just feel very fortunate that I get the experiences I get to do this while Faz is away. I get to work with great people and how important that is.

“I’m pretty happy where I am.” 

While disappointed with a third-place finish in the table, Easterby believes the Ireland squad will benefit from their 2025 championship campaign.

“As a team, yeah, definitely, and I know the players will reflect … on the Championship and see how they as individuals can get better and how we as a team will need to get better.

“I think that’s the best thing about this group, that they’re continually striving to improve and chase down things that they’re not as good, and that will be no different.

“They will obviously go back and they’ll jump straight into Europe in a few weeks, and then the end of the URC and all of that, which will be exciting.

“But I know when the main group will come back, which probably won’t be now until November after players leave for the Lions or don’t go on tour, there will definitely be an element of wanting to hit the ground running in November when we’ve got to go to Chicago (to play New Zealand).”