TIME IS MONIE
Farrell learned the art of picking correct moments to blood new talent from gaffer at Rugby League giants
ANDY FARRELL is on the Monie when it comes to picking the right time to give players their chance.
The Ireland head coach insists he is paying no attention to talk of a new World Cup cycle – he has consistently said during this Six Nations that his selections are based individual performances without adding layers to what has gone before.
That has worked a treat in this championship so far and, almost by stealth, Ireland have changed up one third of their firstchoice starting line-up from France 2023.
Of course, injuries have played a role in that and Hugo Keenan’s absence against Wales on Saturday presents Ciaran Frawley with his first chance to shine from the start of a Six Nations game.
In fact, he will be the fourth first-time starter in this championship after Jack Crowley, Calvin Nash and Joe Mccarthy achieved the feat in Marseille against France.
There will also be a Test debutant off the bench, with Oli Jager primed to taste life at the highest level after his seven-title spell in Crusaders led to his move to Munster late last year.
So plenty of change on paper, but Farrell insists that it has definitely felt more like evolution than revolution.
And, he adds, he is always conscious of when is the right time to put a newbie into the lion’s den – something he learned at the start of his own playing days with Rugby League powerhouses Wigan under their boss, John Monie (right).
“It has been the case as regards bringing people in because throwing people in at the deep end isn’t fair,” Farrell said. “I know that from my experience as a youngster playing. I had a very experienced coach who gave me my debut.
“To throw five or six or seven of them in one go can be dangerous.
“The master at the time was John Monie who brought me through and he used to say, ‘just a couple’ because those types of players, it doesn’t matter what age they are now, as far as the experience is concerned, they need looking after in a good side.
“And what we’ve tried to do is keep people connected that we see down the road, discerning their potential on whether they grow by coming in.”
Jager was initially named as a training panellist ahead of Ireland’s pre-six Nations trip to Portugal and he impressed the coaches. Frawley has been around the set-up a good while longer, first coming into the set-up in November 2021, and was even in New Zealand for the summer tour the following summer, starting both games against the Maori All Blacks at out-half.
Similarly Crowley, Nash and Mccarthy were given time and space to grow in the environment before getting a chance to shine. That kind of forward planning is really paying off for the Grand Slam favourites.
“So again, Thomas Ahern has been in this week and looked really good, I’m sure that he’s going to learn a lot as Oli did etc,” said Farrell.
“And that’s the plan, that’s how it should keep on rolling for us, so therefore when you say there’s a third or a quarter of the team that’s new, they’re not really new to us.”
Ireland are looking to extend their record run of victories on Lansdowne Road, which now stands at 17.
“Yeah, it’s amazing, isn’t it?” said Farrell. “It’s not something that I keep track of, they just rollover my head because it’s always just about the performance and getting the best out of ourselves and trying to be better the whole time.
“That’s what drives us more than anything. If you have that type of mentality hopefully things will chuck along in the right direction.
“But it’s nice to be told these things on the periphery, so that you’re aware of the progress that you’re making.”