Farrell to begin Ireland tenure with back-to-back home clashes

INCOMING Ireland head coach Andy Farrell will be hoping it is a case of home comforts when he takes over from Joe Schmidt for next year’s Six Nations.

Farrell will begin his tenure in charge with back-to-back games at the Aviva Stadium as the English man looks to hit the ground running in his new job.

Fresh from their World Cup meeting in September, Scotland will visit Dublin on February 1 before Ireland get a chance to exact revenge on the Grand Slam champions Wales a week later.

Farrell’s side will then travel to Twickenham to take on England in what will be Ireland’s only Sunday meeting of the 2020 tournament.

Their final home game will be against Italy on March 7 and then they round off the campaign at the Stade de France at 8.0.

In a move away from Friday night fixtures, no games for at least the next two years will take place on Friday with a move back towards the more traditional Saturday and Sunday encounters.

In 2021, Ireland will begin the Six Nations in Cardiff on March 7, in what will be their first of three clashes on Sunday.

They will round off the campaign with a mouthwatering home tie against England on March 20.

Meanwhile, a report in France has linked Ronan O’Gara with a potential move to France ahead of the World Cup.

Patience is running thin with current head coach Jacques Brunel, and Bernard Laporte is said to be interested in hiring O’Gara in a consultancy role. The former Ireland out-half’s contract with the Crusaders runs until the end of the current Super Rugby season, which finishes at the start of July.

The same report also states that Warren Gatland is a target for Les Bleus following the World Cup. 2020 SIX NATIONS FIXTURES Round 1: Ireland v Scotland, Saturday, February 1, 4.45. Round

2: Ireland v Wales, Saturday, February 8, 2.15. Round 3: England v Ireland, Sunday, February 23, 3.0. Round 4: Ireland v Italy, Saturday, March 7, 2.15. Round 5: France v Ireland, Saturday March 14, 8.0. 2021 SIX NATIONS FIXTURES Round 1: Wales v Ireland, Sunday, February 7, 3.0. Round 2: Ireland v France, Sunday, February 14, 3.0. Round 3: Italy v Ireland, Saturday, February 27, 2.15. Round 4: Scotland v Ireland, Sunday, March 14, 3.0. Round 5: Ireland v England, Saturday, March 20, 4.45.