Andy Farrell excited by the unknown with Ireland
Andy Farrell: "We've loved it from day one. We love living here. I love the job." Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Andy Farrell said it was an easy decision to sign on for further a four years as Ireland men’s head coach to 2031 but he is just as excited about the remaining 18 months of his current contract.
The 2023 World Rugby coach of the year will embark on his third World Cup cycle under the new deal he has struck with the Irish Rugby Football Union beyond the 2027 tournament, and which was announced on Friday. It was a significant coup by the governing body for Irish rugby given the eagerness by other suitors, including Farrell’s former employers Saracens and England, to secure his services post-2027 in the build-up to the 2031 edition in the United States.
Yet Farrell apparently needed little persuasion to continue in green having first joined predecessor Joe Schmidt’s staff as a defence coach in 2016. Promoted to head coach post the 2019 World Cup, when Schmidt stepped away after six successful years in charge, Farrell has brought further progress to the national men’s team during his tenure, delivering back-to-back Six Nations titles, starting with the 2023 Grand Slam, four Triple Crowns, an historic first Test series win in New Zealand and a drawn series in South Africa against the world champion Springboks.
“First and foremost, it's an absolute privilege to be thought of in that way, to extend the contract for the medium to long term,” Farrell told Irish Rugby. “It means a lot and obviously I'm absolutely thrilled and delighted to be able to do so.
“I suppose I've always hoped (to stay for an extended period), because I think if you think that way then deep down you're hoping that you're going to do a good job and hopefully deliver. If you are doing that, hopefully people want for you to stay on.
“I think in the background there's always been that. We've loved it from day one. We love living here. I love the job. I've said that plenty of times. Again, it's an honour to be asked to keep going forward.
“Honestly. To be asked, it means a lot. It means a lot because I suppose it means a little bit of what you do is appreciated.
“It's special to be involved, to just walk down the street and people to be so nice, so respectful. It's a pleasure to be around. Obviously, all those things that come together on a day-to-day basis really makes the decision even easier.”
Progressing beyond the World Cup quarter-final stage eluded Farrell’s men in 2023, their expected march to at least the semi-finals undone by a narrow last-eight knockout defeat to the All Blacks. Yet the head coach has rebuilt a team following the retirements of frontline stars, all Test centurions, such as Johnny Sexton, now an Ireland assistant coach, Keith Earls, Cian Healy, Conor Murray, and Peter O’Mahony and is looking forward to the journey of further regeneration in the years now head of him, in the short-term and beyond.
He is set to name his squad in two weeks for July’s Nations Championship Tests Down Under against Australia, Japan and New Zealand and said: “If you look at what we've got coming ahead, a summer tour or a winter tour to the Southern Hemisphere.
“A few of our lads have been there, obviously, but there's quite a few of our lads within our group that's going to board the plane that's not had that type of experience.
“So, there's a lot of firsts that are constantly going to happen. Six Nations and then into the World Cup. What a year. What an 18 months that's going to be, ahead.
“But also what excites me is growing the group again. We've done that a few times. The exciting part is to not really know where it's going to be in four or five years' time, just letting the process happen and keep the squad growing as a group.
“So, that really excites me. It's something that I've really enjoyed over the last few years and that's going to be the same going forward.”
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