The form of Connacht’s coming man hard to ignore
THERE were just four minutes and 45 seconds gone at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein last weekend when Tom Farrell took charge.
Off messy, bouncing lineout possession on the 10-metre line inside the Cheetahs half, Caolin Blade fired out a superb pass and the Connacht centre, standing at first receiver, exploded onto the ball.
His slightly angled run and leg power took him through the first two would-be tacklers into open territory and, after stalling the covering Louis Fouche by hinting at an inside pass, Farrell bamboozled right wing Rhyno Smith with a sublime sidestep back towards the posts and over the line for Connacht’s first try.
It was a classic centre’s score, reminiscent of the iconic Wallabies 12 Tim Horan or the great All Blacks midfielder of the 1990s, Frank Bunce.
In truth, Farrell has a ways to go to be measured alongside those hall-of-famers, particularly at a time of unprecedented strength for Ireland centres.
However, the 25-year-old’s form over the last 15 months has been eye-catching and last Saturday’s try could turn out to be a signature moment in his progression towards the highest level, similar to Garry Ringrose’s stunning break against Munster in 2015 or the winning try scored by Farrell’s colleague Bundee Aki, also in Thomond Park, this time three years ago.
Ringrose and Aki are two of the centres blocking Farrell’s path to the Ireland team with Robbie Henshaw, Chris Farrell, Stuart McCloskey, Rory Scannell and Sam Arnold other quality options in the midfield mix.
The modern movement towards rugby league-style attack and defence has changed the definition of centre play with players switching liberally between 12 and 13.
It harks back to the amateur era when centres like Michael Kiernan and Brendan Mullin would play ‘left and right’ rather than be pigeonholed into inside and outside centre roles.
That changed in the 1990s and into the professional era when stocky, powerful first centres were paired with ‘gliders’ outside in storied partnerships of the calibre of Horan-Little, Carling-Guscott, Henderson-O’Driscoll and Nonu-Smith.
Now, however, there has been a reversion and, aside from McCloskey and Ringrose — tailored to the inside and outside roles respectively — the other centres in the Ireland conversation switch easily between 12 and 13.
Farrell has been equally impressive this season starting outside Aki or at 12 next to Kyle Godwin as he was last weekend.
As the try against Cheetahs showcased, Farrell has all the necessary tools.
His 6ft 2in, 15 stone frame is laced with power, he has speed off the mark, good hands and an excellent step.
Farrell’s defensive reads, passing and kicking skills are areas to work on but those parts of his game are already at a more than decent level and scope for improvement adds to the exciting sense of potential.
But perhaps the most encouraging aspect to the centre’s make-up is his hunger, fuelled by Farrell’s somewhat circuitous career path to his current status as one of Andy Friend’s most effective players at Connacht.
Unsurprisingly, given the prevailing narrative in Irish rugby, Farrell has Leinster roots. The Dubliner attended Castleknock College, not one of the heavyweights of the Leinster Schools scene, and was initially overlooked by the Leinster Academy.
However, a series of impressive displays for the Ireland Under 20s prompted a Leinster Academy rethink. He would feature regularly for the A side without making the breakthrough.
It was a frustrating period in Farrell’s timeline, to the point where he contemplated an alternative career.
The support of his father and Mike Ruddock, his club coach at Lansdowne, convinced him to stick at it and he secured a move to London Irish.
When that also failed to provide the launchpad he craved, he took the gutsy decision to drop down a division in England with Bedford.
‘Time kind of passed me by in Leinster, I always backed my ability but I never really felt I was picked at the right time,’ reflected Farrell at the start of this season.
‘You have to park your ego, take that step down and be realistic that it’s going to be beneficial in the long run.’
That step down with Bedford was when the tide started to turn and Connacht were suitably impressed to offer Farrell a shortterm deal in 2017.
He was one of the players who stood out amid the difficult circumstances of Kieran Keane’s unhappy time in charge to the
point where Farrell was offered a two-year deal last December.
This season, he has become even more dominant and, just like fellow Leinster reject Paul Boyle, Farrell is playing with an edge that speaks of a player desperate to prove a point — good news for Connacht, and potentially, Ireland.
Although not named in Joe Schmidt’s mammoth 42-man squad for the November series, it was highly significant that Farrell was called up for national training last month.
There may be no live TV coverage of Connacht’s Challenge Cup meeting with Perpignan on Saturday, but you can be sure Ireland management will be watching. Whether he will play 12 or 13 depends on Aki’s availability but Farrell’s midfield versatility is a bonus when it comes to World Cup selection.
Realistically, it will be incredibly hard for him to force his way into the Six Nations or Japan 2019 pictures, but his form demands attention and the November call-up proves that Ireland are definitely interested, should an opening occur.
That represents a remarkable turnaround from the days of languishing in the Leinster Academy, a revival that adds to the sense of desire behind Farrell’s progression.
‘I think I am ready,’ he said, when asked about his Ireland ambitions a few weeks ago. ‘Throw me in and see how I go.’