Lancaster the prime candidate for Ireland – Maggs

ANDY Farrell could give his old boss Stuart Lancaster a job when he takes over from Joe Schmidt as Ireland supremo next year.

Schmidt has announced he will step down after the 2019 World Cup by which time he will have been at the top of Irish rugby for more than six years.

Farrell has been in charge of defence since April 2016, having previously worked under Stuart Lancaster in a similar role with England which ended with a disastrous 2015 World Cup campaign.

But former Ireland centre Kevin Maggs thinks Farrell could well hand Leinster coach Lancaster a way back into Test rugby.

“Why not? The players all rate Stuart Lancaster very, very highly,” Maggs told Love Sport Radio.

“The impact he’s having on Leinster has been fantastic with the year that they’ve had and a lot of those guys are playing in the green jersey of Ireland, so Stuart is already involved with coaching them on a regular basis.

“It would be ironic for English fans, but nobody can question the impact they’ve had in Ireland.”

Lancaster returned to a coaching role with Leinster less than a year after teh RWC2015 debacle, where he led the Irish side to 2018 Champions Cup. He was hailed by the players as a key influence in their run to the final in Bilbao where they beat Racing 92 15-12.

If he does get the call-up to the Ireland coaching staff, it will be with roles reversed from his previous work with Farrell, who must cope with the pressure of taking over from one of Ireland's most successful coaches of all-time in Schmidt.

Maggs added: “Everybody in Irish rugby is disappointed Joe has made that decision but they fully understand it. He’s been absolutely phenomenal.

“It’s going to be interesting to see how Andy will deal with being head coach. It’s clear the boys all rate hih, now it will be a question of whether he can step up and fill Joe’s shoes.”

Kevin Maggs was speaking to The Brian Moore Show, listen weekdays from 3-7pm on Love Sport Radio.