WELCOME TO THE HURT ARENA
Andy Farrell will bring his trademark intensity to the role as Ireland head coach
IT IS a moment that will live long in Lions folklore. On the eve of the series decider with Australia in 2013, defence coach Andy Farrell threw down the gauntlet to his squad.
‘On defence, we cannot afford our emotional energy to dip whatsoever,’ Farrell proclaimed.
‘You know why? Because there is no tomorrow. There is no tomorrow. We are taking them boys to the hurt arena this weekend.’
They certainly did. The Wallabies were demolished 41-16 as the Lions ended a 16-year wait for a series win. The tourists were fired up from the start with Welsh hooker Richard Hibbard setting the tone with a thunderous hit on Aussie flanker George Smith.
Farrell’s imprint was all over that Lions triumph and he was at the peak of his powers at that time. Less than six months earlier, he and Stuart Lancaster had masterminded a stunning 38-21 dismantling of the All Blacks at Twickenham.
A home World Cup was on the horizon in 2015 and England’s coaching team of Lancaster, Farrell, Mike Catt and Graham Rowntree were quietly confident.
Calamitous losses to Wales and Australia, not to mention a selection saga over rugby league convert Sam Burgess, were low points during a World Cup debacle. England became the first host nation to fail to qualify from their group.
The fallout was instant and the rumour mill went into overdrive. There were insinuations that Farrell’s influence became too great in the months leading up to the tournament and Lancaster’s role as head coach was diminished.
Lancaster would be handed his P45 on November 11. Eddie Jones was appointed as his successor on November 20. The wily Australian had worked with Farrell at Saracens in a previous role but he wanted a fresh start and a new backroom team. So Farrell walked out of England HQ seeking pastures new and then one of those sliding doors moments happened.
Ireland had themselves endured a World Cup campaign to forget. With back-to-back Six Nations titles in the bank, Joe Schmidt and his squad fancied their chances, but it all fell apart on a disastrous Sunday afternoon as a rampant Argentina overran his injury-ravaged side.
Schmidt’s future was never questioned but he had plenty of rebuilding to do. For one, he needed to find a new defence guru. Les Kiss, who was first recruited under the Declan Kidney regime, had made it known that the 2015 World Cup would be last assignment with Ireland as he concentrated fully on his role as Ulster’s director of rugby.
Schmidt spent the next few months scouring the globe for a defence coach to match the technical qualities and charisma of Kiss. So, when Farrell parted ways with England, it proved a no-brainer for Ireland’s head coach.
Three months after England’s World Cup implosion, Farrell was back in gainful employment at the IRFU. ‘(A) very good coach and motivator. Expect line speed and great kick chase,’ said Brian O’Driscoll at the time. The legendary centre had been within earshot of that ‘Hurt Arena’ speech three years previously.
The terms of Farrell’s redundancy package with the RFU meant he could not take up the new role until the summer of 2016, when Ireland would embark on a three-Test tour of South Africa. That was Farrell’s first assignment and he made in instant impression.
His defence sessions are known for two things: intensity and his booming Lancastrian accent ringing around the pitch.
His first game in charge of Ireland’s defence was a baptism of fire. Ireland found themselves
Lions players gave glowing reports on Farrell in New Zealand
He made his debut at the age of 16 in a hard-nosed environment
down to 14 men after 23 minutes against the Springboks in Cape Town. It looked like game over when CJ Stander was sent off for a clumsy shoulder charge on Patrick Lambie, but the visitors produced one of the great rearguard displays.
Ireland managed to complete 89 per cent of their tackles that day as they held out for an incredible 26-20 win, their first on South African soil. Farrell has not looked back since.
There have been many great days since and Farrell’s importance to the coaching group was recognised when the former England centre was granted a contract extension until 2020, along with Simon Easterby, Greg Feek and Richie Murphy — the respective forward, scrum and skills coaches. Schmidt was out of contract after the 2019 World Cup and that bit of business from the IRFU seemed very telling at the time.
Farrell’s stock rose even further following the Lions tour of New Zealand in 2017. The tourists overcoming insurmountable odds to draw a series in the most inhospitable of environments. Once again, there were glowing reports from players about Farrell’s approach, motivational skills and technical excellence. Ireland’s 16-9 win over the New Zealand earlier this month was his fourth success against the men in black. He has beaten them with England, Ireland and the Lions.
‘I’ve been on the end of plenty of beatings from them as well,’ he once quipped, when those figures were put to him.
Soon, he will get the chance to lead a Test team from the front of house. There is no doubt he has an astute rugby brain with the emotional intelligence to boot, but this will be uncharted territory for the 43-year-old.
A proud stalwart of Wigan, that great rugby league institution in the north of England, Farrell won his first cap for the club at the age of 16. It was an uncompromising environment with teak-tough characters such Shaun Edwards and Denis Betts prowling the corridors.
Those early days held him in good stead throughout a glittering career, across both rugby codes.
From the debris of that ill-fated 2015 World Cup came a new beginning with Ireland. He will do everything in his power to assist Schmidt in bringing the Webb Ellis Cup back to his adopted homeland next year.
After that, the real work begins.