BOD: England rejects will give us the edge
BRIAN O’Driscoll expects discarded England coaches Stuart Lancaster and Andy Farrell to give Ireland a decisive edge when the sides meet in what could be the Six Nations decider in Dublin on March 18.
Former Ireland captain O’Driscoll has been impressed with the impact former England head coach Lancaster, far right, has made with his former province Leinster since joining Leo Cullen’s management team after England’s failed World Cup campaign. Farrell, the former England coach, has been appointed as the Lions defence coach for next year’s tour to New Zealand, a role he now has with Ireland . Farrell helped defeat New Zealand in Chicago to build on the good work he had already achieved while working with Munster before joining the national set up . BT Sport rugby pundit O’Driscoll, left, told The Rugby Paper: “Stuart and Andy will have information on individuals in the England squad but Eddie Jones has changed a lot of things including the mentality of the players while winning those 13 games since he took over.
“Stuart is very popular, he’s very organised and hit the ground running. His defence work has been absolutely massive to how the season has been transformed and it is a similar system to the one Andy Farrell is using with Ireland. We are taking your has been coaches!
“These guys are quality coaches. Andy is exceptionally good and I worked with him on the 2013 Lions tour to Australia. He has taken things onto another level with Ireland and he is a very good motivator.”
O’Driscoll is hoping that Irish coaching talent will take the chance to work outside of Europe to ensure a smotth succession when Joe Schmidt decides to end his period as head coach. Possible candidates would include Italy boss Conor O’Shea, Saracens supremo Mark McCall, David Humphreys at Gloucester and Ronan O’Gara, who is on the staff at Racing 92 staff.
O’Driscoll added: “It is good to get experience further afield and it would be great if some of our coaches were able to work in the Southern Hemisphere not just in Europe.
“You see coaches from down there coming to work here and adding something before heading back home taking the nuances of what give the Northern Hemispeher game its foundations.
“They have their own style. But they are able to compare and contrast and understand the mentality of teams and how they analyse opposition. Then they get a rounded mind set from being in both Hemispheres.”
Would O’Driscoll want to become a coach?
“I haven’t been on a rugby pitch for two and half years and I am out of touch with the day to day,” he added. “Coaching doesn’t interest me because it wouldn’t allow me to do the things I like doing including travelling a lot – it’s a freedom that allows me to be my own boss.”