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Andy Farrell issues ominous warning to Ireland's World Cup rivals
Ireland boss Andy Farrell has issued an ominous warning to his team’s World Cup rivals just six months out from the start of the finals in France. The Irish lived up to their current World Rugby number-one ranking by clinching only the fourth-ever Grand Slam in their history when they eventually defeated 14-man England 29-16 in Dublin on Saturday night.
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Next on their list is shattering their world finals glass ceiling. Never before have Ireland gone beyond the quarter-final stage, but they will now head to France 2023 as one of the favourites to lift the trophy despite being paired in a pool alongside defending champions South Africa and the prospect of a quarter-final in Paris versus the competition-hosting French or the All Blacks.
The pattern at previous finals has been for the Irish not to live up to the hype about them and they have exited the last three tournaments by getting soundly beaten at the quarter-final stage by Wales, Argentina and New Zealand respectively. Prior to that – at France 2007 – they damningly failed to even qualify from their pool.
However, the Grand Slam-winning Farrell now has every confidence that his team can succeed like no other Irish team and he warned rival nations that his players are only going to better with the long lead-in to the finals, where their four-game pool campaign kicks off versus Romania on September 9.
“I have just been saying to Johnny (Sexton) there is bigger fish to fry than this (Six Nations), so we are onto the World Cup” he quipped. “No, we are going to enjoy the next 48 hours 100 per cent, but we are a good side that has nowhere reached its potential.
“I have been saying over the last couple of weeks that is what we are striving to do. We will get a few people back to compete and to train hard. You know, everyone is going to get better in the summer when we get to spend a lot more time together, so we expect our side when we get to the first game of the World Cup to be a lot better than what we are now and that is the reality.”
Farrell refused to personally bask in the glory of coaching Ireland to a rare Grand Slam, instead deflecting the praise to his players and he paid a special tribute to skipper Sexton after he played his final Six Nations match in a year that will end with his retirement as a player following the World Cup.
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“No, not really,” he said when asked if becoming a Grand Slam-winning head coach vindicated him moving his family to Ireland in 2016 after he lost his job as an England assistant following their pool stage elimination at the 2015 World Cup. “I am just so glad for the group because it is fitting.
“Look at the year we have had, to be able to finish off like that is so, so deserving in so many ways. Garry Ringrose got his 50th last week and he couldn’t receive his cap (as he was hospitalised), so we have just given it to him now in the changing room and Josh van der Flier, it’s his 50th as well. Wow, what a season he has had – what a fitting moment it is to get his 50th cap on such an occasion like that.
“And for captain Johnny to finish his Six Nations campaign, he has been saying all week this is what dreams are made of. It doesn’t come around that often and it’s unbelievably fitting that, in my opinion, the best player ever to play for Ireland is able to sign off on a Grand Slam on St Patrick’s Day (sic) in front of his own crowd. There are a lot of stars that have aligned over the course of the last eight weeks and accumulated into this evening.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Lets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
10 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
10 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to comments