FOUR MORE YEARS
IRFU must secure a new deal with outstanding leader Farrell to steer Irish rugby through upheaval and change
HIS decision to prioritise Ireland’s short-term needs was inspired, and Andy Farrell will remain steadfast in ignoring the illusory benefits of working in four-year cycles. But his employers would be well advised to think farther down the line – and securing Farrell’s future through to the end of the 2027 World Cup would be good business ahead of a time of some flux in the Irish game.
The departure of Johnny Sexton, with other big names certain to retire in the coming seasons, raises sporting issues that Farrell will be charged with addressing.
Instability is inevitable as the team learns to live without the most influential Irish player of this era.
And it is not the only source of flux, with David Nucifora leaving as IRFU performance director at some point next year. The union’s leadership have said they want a ‘world-class’ successor, with one of Nucifora’s last significant acts in the service of Irish rugby likely to be the review of the World Cup campaign ended by New Zealand eight days ago.
Given such extensive change, securing Farrell as a long-term foundation stone for a new Ireland team is vital.
In the aftermath of the groundbreaking series win against the All Blacks in July 2022, Farrell signed a two-year contract extension, which runs until August 2025.
A further two-year boost to the conclusion of Ireland’s interest in the 2027 tournament in Australia would reward the Grand Slam success of last spring, as well as acknowledging that Farrell has just overseen Ireland’s best effort at reaching the last four of the World Cup yet.
Planning is already underway for life beyond France 2023, as Farrell alluded to when that two-year contract extension was initially announced.
‘Ahead of the tour to New Zealand myself and David (Nucifora) looked at the opportunities and challenges facing the national squad after the tournament in France,’ he said.
‘I am excited about continuing to work with the group and with the next generation of Irish international players.’
The attractions of Farrell for the IRFU are obvious, and they are contained not only in results, but also in the testimony of players.
Through tears, Johnny Sexton paid glowing tribute to Farrell in the early hours of last Sunday morning. Sexton has played under Michael Cheika, Joe Schmidt and Declan Kidney in a high-wattage career, but nothing compared to Farrell.
‘The last couple of years have definitely been, in a green jersey anyway, the most enjoyable of my career, definitely,’ he said.
‘The group, the way Faz leads us with the other coaches, everyone runs into camp and never wants to leave. It’s an incredible place to be and that’s what I’ll miss the most.’
Iain Henderson was similarly smitten. ‘It’s been amazing, it’s honestly been the most enjoyable rugby of my life,’ he said, and their tributes were just the latest savouring the environment created by Farrell, with Peter O’Mahony previously describing it as the best he had played under for Ireland.
It is far-fetched to think this can simply be maintained, season after season, especially with a turnover of players imminent.
Farrell may also seek out change in aspects of their preparation, including in his backroom team, for instance, in pursuit of a new edge.
There is nothing to indicate he is an advocate of the creative conflict that Eddie Jones pursues, to decidedly mixed effect, and the ‘softer skills’ that he prioritises were highlighted as one of his strengths by departing team manager, Mick Kearney.
Kearney is another notable loss because of his vast experience on the administrative side of the management team, but also for his counsel, which was valued by Schmidt and Kidney before Farrell. Given his relish for challenges, none of this will daunt Farrell, but a renewed show of faith from the union would provide an anchor for the national team amid the flux.
One significant disruption could be interest from the British and Irish Lions.
Farrell is the outstanding candidate to lead the next tour, due for Australia in 2025.
Given the state of the Wallabies now, and the decision of Jones to stay on, they could remain in a miserable state by then, and the attraction of taking on a hopelessly mismatched opponent across the series would be dubious.
The Lions brand was dulled by the miserable Covid-affected tour of South Africa in 2021, and another dud visit could imperil one of the grand traditions of the game.
I am excited about working with the next generation of Irish players
But it is precisely that history which remains one of the attractions of the job, and were Farrell pursued by the executives who run the Lions, he would have a big decision to make.
So would the IRFU. Denying a coach the chance to lead a Lions tour could have repercussions, but equally the well-being of the national team could be jeopardised if Farrell was expected to stand aside in the months before leading the tour.
This is what Warren Gatland did in 2013 and 2017 when head coach of Wales. He took a sabbatical following the 2012 November series, and took a 10-month break in 2016 to concentrate fully on the Lions from the start of the 2016-2017 season.
Were Farrell expected to follow those precedents – Gatland coached the Chiefs in his native New Zealand before taking on the Lions job ahead of the ill-starred 2021 trip to face the Springboks – then he would potentially have to step aside as Ireland head coach at the end of this season, following next summer’s tour to South Africa. He would not be back in charge until autumn 2025. This would hardly appeal to the IRFU, but as one of the stakeholders in the Lions, they would be obliged to find an accommodation if the job was offered to Farrell.
Paul O’Connell would be an obvious stand-in for the months Farrell was seconded to the Lions, but it would undoubtedly be disruptive.
This is partly the price one of the Home Nations must pay for having a successful coach, and it is not an insurmountable issue.
If it was the cost of ensuring Farrell’s long-term future is in Ireland, then it would have to be met.
But fixing his future to Lansdowne Road is paramount.
While England reached the last four of the World Cup, this was largely down to an unbalanced draw, and if the progress has temporarily silenced criticism of Steve Borthwick, a difficult Six Nations will resurrect all the doubts about his leadership, and the bleakly survivalist style of play that he favours.
And that would bring Farrell back into speculation around one day leading his native country.
The England job remains one of the most important in the game, despite the chaos in their club game. However, Farrell’s term as an assistant to Stuart Lancaster ended in bitter recrimination, with allegations of bias in favour of his son particularly pointed.
The chances of Farrell subjecting himself to that again while Owen is still such a pivotal part of the English side must be minimal.
The practice of handing coaches long-term contracts before tournaments has been exposed as a folly in the past. Eddie O’Sullivan was given a handsome four-year deal the month before Ireland’s 2007 campaign began.
By the time it ended, his future looked doomed and he limped on to the end of the 2008 Six Nations, before departing.
Rewarding a coach after a tournament is an entirely different matter, however.
Despite failing to breach the lasteight barrier, Farrell oversaw a thrilling campaign, that was one score away from earning a semifinal place.
He has been an outstanding leader, and in a time of churn, he can provide certainty, and be trusted with charting a fresh direction for the national team.
Trusting Farrell to forge a new Ireland between now and 2027 has to be a priority for the people running the game here.
It’s been amazing, it’s honestly been most enjoyable rugby of my life