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Former Ireland coach pinpoints Farrell's 'smartest decision' yet

By Josh Raisey
Andy Farrell /PA

Former Ireland head coach Eddie O’Sullivan has described Andy Farrell’s decision to bring Paul O’Connell into his coaching team as “probably the smartest decision” he has made.

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The Ireland and Munster great was drafted into the coaching team in January as forwards coach in a swift effort to address an area of weakness in the autumn. Not only was the lineout ropey in 2020, but the Irish forwards were shown to be outmuscled by England at Twickenham.

But after dismantling Scotland’s lineout at Murrayfield on Sunday to pave the way for a 27-24 win, it is impossible to ignore O’Connell’s growing influence. Scotland won only 25 percent of their lineouts, which is so far below what is expected in international rugby that it is miraculous that they could remain in the contest.

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Owen Farrell Press conference | England vs France | Six Nations 2021

Video Spacer

Owen Farrell Press conference | England vs France | Six Nations 2021

By moving Tadhg Beirne into the back row to accompany the 1.96m/ 6ft 5in Will Connors on the other flank, Ireland have effectively designed a pack for aerial domination, and that was the case in Edinburgh. But their success at the breakdown suggests O’Connell’s impact extends beyond simply the lineout.

Farrell’s tenure as coach has not lasted that long, but this was an astute move that has paid off. O’Sullivan is right to view this as the smartest decision so far, but it could prove to be one of the most decisive appointments when looking back on his time in charge in years to come.
“Bringing in Paul O’Connell as line-out coach is probably the smartest decision Andy Farrell has made since he took over.”

Though the prospect of recruiting a centurion and Irish legend was always going to be popular amongst fans given the reputation he forged throughout his career, it was also met with reservation given his coaching record at that point, which had not been as glittering as his playing record. But O’Connell has proved many of those doubters wrong already.

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M
Mzilikazi 10 minutes ago
How England reverse-engineered unlikely attacking change

Thanks, Nick, not only for this fine article, but for all the others during 6N 2024. I really enjoyed this 2024 tournament, and felt it was one of the best for many years. That final match in Lyons was really good. England were certainly unlucky when that speculative hack by Ramos lead to a French try. It could just so easily have landed in English hand.s, and they score at the other end. I did think though that the French played some great rugby, and some of their driving play in the forwards was just fearsome. I watched Meafou with interest, and he has a good start to his career. It is interesting to compare him with Will Skelton. Lot of similarities, though so far Meafou has not shown any offloading threat. All credit to Borthwick for being prepared to change, and what great result, even if that last game was lost at the death. I feel they are a real chance to cause the AB’s problems this winter/summer. Finally a comment on Ireland. I thought their last game was their worst, and they did not look like the world’s No 2 side at all. What really worries me is that the loss to England was, in my view, down to poor decision making by the coaching group, and ofc Andy Farrell wears that. It was a big mistake to move JGP away from scrum half. Murray should have been the one to go to the wing. And the “finishers” should have been on the field earlier. And this is the second time this has happened. The RWC Qf against the AB’s, and not getting Crowley onto the field was a huge mistake. Finally, finally, watching Italy play was a joy. How wonderful that they are no longer the punchbag of the 6 N.

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