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Farrell: Ready for a new challenge with Joe Schmidt's Ireland. Donall Farmer/INPHO
Moving On

'A wonderful learning process from both sides' - Andy Farrell says goodbye to Munster

Ireland’s new defence coach liked what he saw in Munster.

ANDY FARRELL HAS described his short stint with Munster as “a wonderful learning process from both sides.”

Farrell begins his new role as Ireland defence coach next week having spent the past 10 weeks working alongside Anthony Foley in an advisory capacity.

After agreeing to join Ireland at the end of the Six Nations, the former England assistant was then asked to provide coaching support two days a week as Munster tried to kickstart their faltering season.

“Obviously I’m a coach and am normally in at the deep end,” he said in an interview with the province’s official website.

“What can happen during a season is coaches get enthralled in the day-to-day stuff. It’s good then to see things from the outside and from both the players’ and coaches’ perspective.”

Farrell also hailed Munster’s academy system, and the manner in which young talent has been integrated into the senior setup under Foley.

I have been massively impressed with the age bracket of 18 to 22 years and these kids not looking out of place in senior sessions. You take your hat off to Axel and his staff on how they integrate the younger lads in training and that breeds confidence in them to express themselves.

“I’ve seen many clubs where they don’t get that experience and then when they are thrown into the deep end they are so nervous of messing up.

“The young players here are developing at a massive rate and will be first team Munster players sooner rather than later because of the way they are handled within the club.

“And it’s not just here at Munster, I see that right across the Irish game.”

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