With regular Ireland coach Andy Farrell busy with the British and Irish Lions tour to Australia, his deputy Simon Easterby will take charge of the defending champions of the Six Nations, Ireland.
Since taking the sabbatical, his assistant has hit the ground running, demarcating the to-do list for his players, which will run until the Six Nations in 2025.
No Farrell Involvement
Ireland’s incoming interim coach, Simon Easterby, says Andy Farrell will “step away completely” during his sabbatical with the Lions.
The former flanker, who yesterday named Sam Prendergast in a 33-man squad for next month’s Emerging Ireland tour to South Africa, will step into the top job for the Six Nations and the summer tour of Romania and Georgia, and he insists the boss will not have an overarching presence during that window.
Ireland is open to bringing in another coach to help with the workload when Farrell is preparing for the Lions, and Easterby didn’t rule out a move for Felix Jones, who is serving a notice period with the RFU after signaling his intention to leave the English set-up.
Ireland has always gone into a Six Nations with its head coach, a scenario Wales faced in 2013 and 2017 when Warren Gatland handed control to Rob Howley. There is a perception that Farrell will still hold an influence behind the scenes, but Easterby believes he’ll have autonomy in the role.
“Andy has a lot to get through regarding the Lions,” he said. “I’m sure he’d be on the end of a phone if needed, but as far as we’re concerned, he’s stepping away completely, and he’s leaving us to crack on and get on with it…
“He’s been fully involved in the progression and the continuity, and he will be right through until the end of November, and after that, I think his focus has to switch to a massive year for him in terms of preparing for that Lions tour to Australia.”
Farrell viewed last season as a “continuation” of the last World Cup cycle. Still, with the Emerging Ireland tour, a busy November schedule, and the coach’s sabbatical, there’s a sense that there may be a pivot towards 2027 this year.
Especially in a year where they opt to go for a third successive title, it is a massive ask from Easterby. Since Ireland clinched the second back-to-back Six Nations title, interest in the competition has been at large.
Reseller platforms such as Seatsnet are already seeing heightened requests for tickets.
Upcoming Tours to Help Six Nations Squad Build
Simon Easterby can point to Joe McCarthy and Jack Crowley as prime examples of what an Emerging Ireland tour can produce, and he hopes that some of his 33-man squad will step up the plate this time around.
The Leinster lock and Munster out-half were uncapped when they toured South Africa two years ago and have become mainstays in Andy Farrell’s senior side.
Four others – Ciarán Frawley, Calvin Nash, Jamie Osborne, and Cian Prendergast – have featured for Ireland over the last two years.
In November, Ireland will host New Zealand, Argentina, Fiji, and Australia.
“That’s exactly what we want,” said the former Ireland flanker when asked about the possibilities of players earning call-ups.
“We know there is a medium-to-long-term outlook for this tour, but certainly, in the short-term, we need to build depth in every position, and there is no closed book.
“We need to make sure that we have the best players available to us in November and then the Six Nations.
“There is also an ‘A’ fixture in the Six Nations, a summer tour, and a Lions tour.”
“Genuinely, it is a great challenge for these players and an opportunity for them and us to see who can step up, which makes it difficult not to pick them in November or the Six Nations.
“(The last tour) was invaluable. We are always in contact with the provinces around what’s coming through and the depth of different positions in Irish rugby, but I think to get to know the players, to get to work with them up close and personal, was a real valuable exercise in 2022.
“That’s exactly what we hope this trip to be as well. It’s a short period.
“If we can produce the type of players we got last time then we will be more than happy.”
With Irish rugby at its peak, tickets for the Irish games are also in very high demand. Thus, platforms such as Seatsnet have already made space to list options for the team’s games against New Zealand and Australia beforehand.
Ulster forward Cormac Izuchukwu and Leinster out-half Sam Prendergast are among those traveling. Both went on the recent senior tour to South Africa but did not see any game time.
While Leinster are well stocked at 10, Ulster coach Richie Murphy, who had previously described the tour as ‘disruptive’ will be without one of his main players for rounds 2-4 of the BKT URC.
“Izzy is someone that had a good bit of game time at the end of last season with Ulster, but we still want to grow his experience and grow the depth more at lock than at 6, but we know he can play both positions,” said Easterby, who has been part of the Ireland coaching set-up since 2014.
“We want him to step up and lead in calling at lineout time and leadership around the field.
“So, for him, it is a continuation of his development and progression. I’m not saying he wouldn’t get game time with Ulster.
“Obviously, he would, but in particular for him to be working with Paulie (O’Connell, forwards coach) and Fogs (John Fogarty, scrum coach) again and the work he will be doing with Goody (Andrew Goodman, backs coach) in attack, it is a good progression in his development.
The squad has 12 Leinster, eight Munster, seven Connacht, and six Ulster players.
Seatsnet‘s Six Nations options are also available for early bird bids.
