IRELAND DEFENCE COACH Andy Farrell refused to be drawn on comments from IRFU chief executive Philip Browne suggesting he would be ‘more than capable’ of succeeding Joe Schmidt.
The Kiwi will announce if he’ll sign a new contract with the IRFU beyond next year’s World Cup at the end of the current November series, with Farrell and Stuart Lancaster touted as being potential replacements should Schmidt decide to leave.
Farrell, who has been part of Schmidt’s Ireland coaching staff since January 2016, has also been linked with the England head coach role, but committed his future to the IRFU by signing an extended contract until June 2020 earlier this year.
In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Browne praised Farrell and Leinster senior coach Lancaster, describing the pair as ‘hugely impressive individuals’ and both ‘more than capable’ of stepping up to the position.
Farrell was Lancaster’s assistant as part of the England set-up, before both left their positions with the RFU following the disastrous home World Cup campaign in 2015.
When asked about potentially succeeding Schmidt, the 43-year-old was quick to sidestep the question, instead choosing to focus on this weekend’s clash against the All Blacks.
“Thank you very much,” he said, when Browne’s comments were put to him at this afternoon’s press conference.
“Look, that type of thing, you won’t expect me to answer that today in the week that we’ve got. What I would say on that is that I have a fantastic job, I really enjoy myself working under Joe, learning.
“Joe will make his decision in time, I’ll keep enjoying myself and hopefully keep getting better.”
Farrell’s stock has risen considerably during his time with Ireland, helping Schmidt’s side to a first-ever win against the All Blacks in Chicago, as well as the Grand Slam success earlier this year and first series win Down Under.
The Englishman has played a key role in Ireland’s ascension to second in the world ahead of Saturday’s showdown with the world champions, and has masterminded three victories over the almighty All Blacks with England, Ireland and the Lions.
So, what’s the secret to toppling Steven Hansen’s men?
“There is no secret,” he insisted. “I’ve lost against them a lot more than I’ve won as well. There is no secret. You hear the lads talking about it all week, the lads who’ve played against them.
“They’re a good side, aren’t they, they’re going to have their time in the sun and what they’re masters at is making sure when things go wrong for them, which they do because they’re a team like anyone else, their confidence levels, their ability to stick to the plan and stay on point is better than anyone.
“We have to take our learnings from that and make sure when things go against us or the run of play goes against it, we get back on point as soon as we possibly can on both sides of the ball.”
Easier said than done against a team that pounces on every mistake.
Chicago, and all that happened on that indelible day at Soldier Field, helps. It engenders confidence, and belief within the squad. The All Blacks are not infallible, and the template is there.
“We take the learnings from both of those [games in 2016] and see what we come up with two years later,” Farrell added.
“You can feel it [the size of the occasion]. You would expect it to be like that come New Zealand week. They’re the best team in the world for a reason and we get excited, we want to play against them as much as we possibly can. Why? Because we want to test ourselves and we want to keep on improving and pushing up the ladder.
If we could play them every week it would be good for us because it would be good for our development.
Hansen, meanwhile, said Ireland would be the best team in the world if they win on Saturday evening, even if Schmidt’s side can’t officially dislodge the All Blacks at the top of the rankings.
“Thanks very much again,” Farrell grinned. “No [I'm not having that]. When a side has been top of the tree for nine years like they have and let’s be fair, it’s been longer than that really.
“There’s only one team that is top of the tree. But it’s an important year. It’s important for us to keep building and keep trying to close that gap.”
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