Schmidt’s A-Team of coaches are keeping Ireland in Grand form

Behind the scenes is where this Grand Slam will live or die

WHO’S the boss? It’s never a question that will have to be asked about Irish rugby. Joe Schmidt is the most important man in the sport in this country, and Grand Slam ambitions, burning through the snow this morning, depend largely on his plans for a hardened, ambitious group of players.

Schmidt’s burden is not a lonely one, though. Responsibility for Ireland’s tactics and scheming for the next fortnight will be shared between an experienced coaching group, under pressure to produce, and answerable to Schmidt.

ANDY FARRELL DEFENCE COACH

IN 10 of the 18 matches that he has been involved in as defence coach, Ireland have conceded three tries.

That is a poor return and it suggests a problem buried within the Irish system; this is about more than malfunctions particular to certain days or players.

Yet Farrell remains highly respected, a figure of obvious authority and of whom the Ireland players speak highly in private and public.

Some of this stems from the decorated playing career he enjoyed in rugby league, the ill-fated but gutsy attempt to recast himself in union, and the work he did on England’s best days under Stuart Lancaster, and on two Lions’ tours.

In fact there is a growing conviction among some observers of the Irish set-up, including people close to the camp, that Farrell will be part of the coaching ticket that succeeds Joe Schmidt after the World Cup, perhaps in tandem with Lancaster.

But he needs to plug the try-concession dam now.

Sides have obviously identified that there is space on the wings that makes Ireland vulnerable.

The trick for them is surviving the initial blitz from Irish defenders and then shifting the ball wide as quickly as possible.

It worked for Italy in the second half and it was obviously the main attacking gambit of Wales, too.

‘The last quarter was not acceptable, because average is not acceptable in this environment,’ Farrell said in the aftermath of the Italy game. That sentiment still applies, one presumes.

GREG FEEK SCRUM COACH

THE first arrival at Leinster following the appointment of Joe Schmidt in 2010 was Feek.

He came from the Hurricanes in Wellington, following an estimable playing career in New Zealand that included 10 Test appearances.

Despite his long service in this country, Feek remains a figure with a low profile.

This is how he would choose it; he is, in his media appearances, quiet and understated, true to the stereotype of the prop forward interested mostly in the minutiae of scrummaging.

There is no more important figure in Schmidt’s team, however – and there is no one better at his job, either.

It can be argued that of all the influences Schmidt has introduced to Irish rugby, from the recruitment of Farrell to the inspired signing of Brad Thorn, none has made the impact of Feek.

He was only in the country a matter of months when Declan Kidney recruited him to work with the Irish scrum on a part-time basis, and his role grew until Schmidt appointed him national scrum coach in 2014.

Mike Ross was integral in bolstering the Irish scrum, and Feek’s work with Ross at provincial and Test level was crucial.

But Feek’s best work has been in creating a stock of props at Test level that is as impressive as any country can call upon.

Tadhg Furlong, Cian Healy, Jack McGrath, John Ryan, Andrew Porter and Dave Kilcoyne provide options Ireland never had before.

Feek’s role in their careers is enormous.

SIMON EASTERBY FORWARDS’ COACH

IT used to be said that Easterby was Eddie O’Sullivan’s ideal player.

He won 65 Ireland caps, the great majority of them under O’Sullivan. His Test playing career ended on the day O’Sullivan’s Ireland one did, following defeat in Twickenham in 2008.

O’Sullivan admired him for his application and attitude as much as the virtues he presented as a tough blindside flanker.

Never a complainer or troublemaker, he simply showed up match after match and did his job well.

That ability to present for work and get the task done might seem a prerequisite for professional players, but don’t underestimate the number who are compromised by distractions and struggle for consistency.

Easterby was never one of them, and the Ireland pack he oversees reflects his own approach.

There is no fuss about them; players like Devin Toner, Peter O’Mahony and CJ Stander don’t come across as high maintenance, and they set the standards for everyone else.

Under Easterby, the Irish pack has become an attacking weapon, and the power of the maul off lineouts in the opposition 22 is understood by all of their rivals.

Warren Gatland spoke about it before the Welsh match, and expect Scotland and England to try and keep lineouts to a minimum in the next two games.

His next challenge will be ensuring that the line-out reliability based on the Rory Best-Toner relationship survives even as Toner struggles to keep his place in the team.

RICHIE MURPHY SKILLS COACH

UNDER previous regimes, one had cause to wonder about the relevance of a kicking coach. This might have been due to the certainty that Ronan O’Gara carried about him; it was difficult to imagine him needing — or taking — much in the way of instruction.

And if he did want to tweak his technique he, on occasion, sought out Dave Alred, the man who became famous helping Jonny Wilkinson develop his technique.

The relationship between Murphy and Johnny Sexton seems much more collaborative.

Sexton is an Alred enthusiast, too, but when discussing him in his autobiography, he revealed that Murphy used to attend some of the sessions he attended with Alred, and Schmidt had requested that Murphy be kept abreast of the work they did together.

Murphy’s Ireland role has expanded to the title of skills’ coach, but his work with the kickers, and in particular Sexton, is critical to Ireland’s well-being.

Their time together goes back over a decade to the Leinster academy, while Murphy has worked with Schmidt since the latter arrived at Leinster.

The sight of Conor Murray sweeping over a crucial penalty against Wales (after doing the same in the win against New Zealand almost 18 months ago) showed the work going on beyond Ireland’s established kickers.

Murray used to kick for Garryowen in the All-Ireland League, and it is clever coaching to have him as a back-up, as was illustrated when Sexton couldn’t kick the final penalty against the Welsh.