Set-piece, clinical finishing, and discipline the focus for Ireland in Six Nations

Ireland are no longer the favourites to win the Six Nations that they had been in recent years but winning every game is still the ambition for head coach Andy Farrell

Andy Farrell: "We have to be driven to want to win every game. But what certainly trumps that is us continuing to grow and evolve as a team." Pic: Ross MacDonald/Sportsfile

Andy Farrell has targeted improving discipline as Ireland bid to get back to winning ways in this season’s Guinness Six Nations championship.

Ireland kick off their 2026 campaign on Thursday week with a daunting visit to Paris and an opening-round date with defending champions France, whose 42-27 victory in Dublin last March helped end Irish ambitions of an historic third Six Nations title in a row.

It was Ireland’s only defeat under interim head coach Simon Easterby but relegated the 2023 and 2024 winners to third place behind runners-up England as Farrell was seconded to the British & Irish Lions for their summer tour to Australia. Ireland suffered further setbacks on his return last November with an Autumn Nations Series book-ended by defeats to both New Zealand and South Africa as the penalty counts and card tallies soared for Farrell’s team.

The Springboks' 24-13 victory in Dublin was a lot more comprehensive than the scoreline might suggest as the world champions piled on the pressure at scrum time, with the Irish conceding a penalty try and losing both loosehead props Andrew Porter and Paddy McCarthy to yellow cards, with fly-halves Sam Prendergast and Jack Crowley also going to the sin bin with the home side reduced to 12 men just before half-time, lock James Ryan having been handed a 20-minute red card.

Speaking at the Six Nations launch in Edinburgh, the Ireland boss outlined the lessons that needed to be learned from those November defeats when his squad begins its warm weather training camp in Portugal on Tuesday, nine days out from the championship opener.

"The obvious things… for all to see… I could probably start with the discipline piece was the big story, wasn't it? Certainly, coming on the back of the South Africa game,” Farrell said.

"It was a bit of a landslide at one stage, wasn’t it? If you look back to our record in general, discipline-wise, that it’s been a point of difference for us and making sure that it stays that way is something that we need to keep going over and addressing.

"I think, as far as our penalty count, penalties were concerned in the Six Nations last year, it was pretty good, but obviously the game’s somewhat changing a little bit… as far as penalties, cards, all of that, you know; you seldom see a game now where there’s not a card. So, the game has changed. We have to adapt to that and work with that.

“And we all know that you can’t play any top-level game, any club game really, without a world-class set-piece. So that’s always going to be the same. And the lads are gung-ho about making sure that we deliver that.

“I think another aspect of the game that we need to concentrate on a little bit, and it goes hand-in-hand with a little bit of set-piece stuff as well, is converting our chances, I would have thought: entries into the 22 and conversion rate for that.” 

Farrell also stressed the need to highlight the positives from the November Tests, with Ireland having beaten Japan 41-10 and scored a record 46-19 victory over Australia.

"There are parts of that as well, you know. Our defence has been statistically pretty strong for quite some time now, making sure that that continues to be not just that, but a dominant force that is able to get us the ball back is something that everyone will be working towards anyway.

“And then getting back into our form, obviously, attack-wise. Hopefully we get some nice conditions to play in Thursday night in Paris.

"You'd think it would be a little bit cold or whatever, but two teams that want to play a nice, attractive brand of rugby is always going to be what we’re pushing for."

Returning to the need for improved discipline, Farrell said he understood some players’ misgivings about the direction rugby was taking with law changes leading to increased kicking and scrummaging but urged them to adapt in order to thrive in the new landscape.

"As it always happens, there’s a slight change in direction as far as the laws (are concerned). There are always people trying to work it out. You’ve seen a lot more kicking because of that, the advantage going slightly more to the attacking side.

"With that, probably a few more scrums, a few more penalties, a few more cards, all of that.

"So, adapting to all that and how that best fits us, I think we kicked the ball the most we've ever kicked the ball against Australia, and we had a record win. That says a lot of what’s going on at the minute, but I still think at the heart of it, there’s still scope for nice, attractive rugby to be played.

"You don't always agree, but that’s just how it is, isn't it? I get that. I get that as well. There’s ongoing stuff there with (World Rugby director of rugby) Phil Davies and the referees.

"We had a meeting on Wednesday morning, all the coaches with the referees, of just reiterating what they’re after for the Six Nations, so that was good.

“Space is a big thing. Safety is first and foremost, and rightly so, but space is a big one. Hence why you're seeing a good few more penalties now in regards to offsides and things like that. That’s been well policed, so it’s something that we have to be extra vigilant with.” 

The Ireland head coach said players had to keep working on their in-game mentality, “100%" to avoid getting frustrated with officials.

"We pride ourselves on being next moment focused and being present to what’s in front of our face.

"We’ve worked hard on it over the years, and if things are drifting then we need to get back on the horse and make sure we understand that we do things properly.

"We’re at our best when emotionally we’re calm enough to be able to deal with whatever the game throws at us. It’s something that we need to keep on addressing.” 

Some things remain the same for Farrell’s Ireland, though, not least the vision of what makes for a good Six Nations, regardless of his squad’s evolving profile.

"Winning every game,” he said.

"I mean, that's what we're after. I get what everyone says, the evolution of every team changes and where you're at. Everyone talks about cycles.

"Where we're at with new caps, 16 lads under 10 caps. It says a bit about the squad of where we're at, but there's still an expectation.

"We have to be driven to want to win every game. But what certainly trumps that is us continuing to grow and evolve as a team."