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'Replacing Joe Schmidt is my biggest career challenge' - Andy Farrell

By Online Editors
Andy Farrell (right) believes replacing Joe Schmidt as Ireland boss is his biggest ever challenge (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Andy Farrell has branded following Joe Schmidt as Ireland head coach the biggest challenge of his career.

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Former dual-code England international Farrell will step up from assistant to head coach when current boss Schmidt steps down after the autumn’s World Cup in Japan.

The 43-year-old has worked under Schmidt since 2016 amid Ireland’s rise to second in the world, following four years as England defence coach.

Asked if replacing Schmidt will be his biggest coaching challenge yet, Farrell replied: “Yes, 100 per cent. It’s something I’ve been working towards, something I’m up for and excited about at the same time.

“I’m proud and privileged to be asked to take over after such a brilliant coach like Joe. Fortunately enough as well, I get a bit of time to keep on learning in the meantime,” continued Farrell, speaking for the first time since it was revealed in late November he would succeed the New Zealander as Irish boss.

(Continue reading below…)

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“It’s a massive honour to be given the opportunity because it’s a privilege to be involved with the group of people we’ve got, the players and the staff. I feel where we’re going in the future is a bright place as well.”

Schmidt has led Ireland to one Grand Slam, three Six Nations titles, Ireland’s maiden two victories over back-to-back world champions New Zealand and from eighth to second in the World Rugby rankings.

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Ireland confirmed Farrell as Schmidt’s replacement when their current boss revealed in November that he would step down at the end of 2019.

Farrell enjoyed a stellar playing career in both league and union, before making his coaching name at Saracens. The British and Irish Lions coach lost his England job after the 2015 World Cup, when Stuart Lancaster’s side became the competition’s first host nation to be eliminated at the group stages.

Farrell has since flourished under Schmidt’s tutelage and feels he has progressed enormously in the Ireland set-up. Asked if he had had any second thoughts over replacing Schmidt, Farrell replied: “Absolutely no doubts whatsoever, it was a very easy decision.

“Of course I have become a better coach under Joe, 100 per cent. You’re learning all the time, aren’t you? No matter who you’re working with.

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“What you get when you’re in our environment is you get to share ideas and we tend to give quite a lot of feedback to each other. You’re learning constantly and it shapes the way you think and learn on the run,” he said following Ireland’s public training session on Friday at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium.

Farrell’s former England boss Lancaster has been mooted as a candidate to leave Leinster and join Ireland’s backroom staff once Schmidt departs.

But Farrell kept his cards close to his chest when quizzed on the chance of linking back up with former Leeds coach Lancaster. “There’s planning that has to go on behind the scenes,” he said.

“Honestly I’m unbelievably conscious of making sure nothing gets in the way of the day job. Things are petering away, but there’s not too much wrong with the Irish set-up at this moment in time. Continuity is a good thing for us, because what we do is working.”

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Jon 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 9 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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A
Adrian 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

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