Eddie Jones: Andy Farrell can handle 'sticky' Ireland transition period
STEADY EDDIE: Japan Rugby Head Coach Eddie Jones. Pic: ©INPHO/Nick Elliott.
Japan coach Eddie Jones has backed Andy Farrell to guide Ireland through what is a “sticky” transition period for the Six Nations side ahead of their head-to-head at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Australian has put plenty of noses out of joint during his long, interesting and sometimes controversial career, but it was Charming Eddie on display at the visitors’ South Dublin team hotel on Thursday night as he unveiled his hand for the weekend.
He joked about bringing ladders with him when asked about Japan’s struggles with the aerial game, and he teased the local media for being so much nicer to him now than in the days when the tracksuit he wore was of an English variety.
Jones gave a fascinating interview last year to author Brendan Fanning for the latter’s book ‘Touching Distance: Irish Rugby’s Battle with Great Expectations’ when he spoke of both Farrell and his predecessor with Ireland, Joe Schmidt.
He talked of Carlo Ancelotti’s book ‘Quiet Leadership’, in which the Italian explained how what gets a coach hired is invariably what gets them fired. It happened to Schmidt, Jones said then, and it would happen to Farrell too.
So, then, the next question was whether Jones has seen any evolution in Ireland’s game of late. If there are any signs of a leopard changing its spots and adapting to changing personnel and changing trends in the wider game before an axe should fall.
“You go through periods of play where what you’re good at becomes your weakness,” he said, explaining how Ireland’s world-leading multi-phase attack became a focus for opposing teams looking to turn that strength into a weakness.
Another factor, he pointed out, has been the loss of a generational talent in Johnny Sexton – and other veterans - whose exceptional decision-making has led to what Jones perceives as a greater looseness in attack and a dip in Ireland’s kicking game.
“They don't have that astute kicking game anymore, but you've got two good young 10s coming through in in Crowley and Prendergast, and I'm sure one of those will come through and be the next Sexton over the next period of time.”
Whether Farrell can repeat the trick he pulled off in returning Ireland to the summit after the slow decay of Schmidt’s last year in charge is the big question. It’s here where Jones changed his tune on the seeming inevitability of Ancelotti’s theory.
The former Wallaby boss has always been impressed by Farrell. He knew there was the raw ingredients required to make a good coach, but he has seen a growing maturity in the Englishman and feels that post-Schmidt turnaround will stand to him now.
“Probably the first 12 months was quite difficult about how he was going to adjust the team after Joe. He’s done an absolutely fantastic job doing that. Now is the next turn. Now comes the next test. How do you adjust the team again? Because you've a new team you got to create.
“He’ll be going through that test again, and it'll be a good test for him, but he'll handle it as long as you blokes don’t, or you people, give him too much of a hard time. I'd say, look out for him. Be nice to him. Find a kind spot in your heart for the coaches.”
It’s his business to add pressure on Farrell this weekend with a team boosted by the introduction of Toulouse scrum-half Nauto Saito and Fijian lock Epineri Uluiviti. Veteran Michael Leitch will be sprung from the bench.
Can Japan beat Ireland, then? “One hundred per cent.”
Y Yazaki; K Ishida, D Riley, C Lawrence, T Osada; S Lee, N Saito; K Kobayashi, K Sato, S Takeuchi; E Uluiviti, W Dearns; B Gunter, K Shimokawa, F Makisi.
S Hirao, R Iwaihara, K Tamefusa, J Cornelsen, M Leitch, S Fujiwara, S Komura, S Hirose.
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