HIS CELEBRATIONS IN the coaching box at Twickenham only endeared Andy Farrell even more to his supporters.
He was already a much-loved figure thanks to his remarkable success with Ireland, but the sight of him punching the air and roaring in delight as his team scored tries and made try-saving tackles was impossible not to enjoy. Unless you were English.
Farrell must be one of the most popular Englishmen in Ireland ever. That said, the Wigan native has Irish ancestry that goes back a few generations, as does his wife, Colleen, whose maiden name is O’Loughlin.
So it was no surprise that they fitted into life in Ireland seamlessly upon arriving in 2016. Farrell did an initial short-term stint as a consultant with Munster before starting his full-time role as Ireland’s defence coach, with the family settling happily in Dublin.
The coastal suburb of Sandymount has become home and Farrell’s passion for Ireland was evident once again last weekend as his team reminded themselves and the world that they’re capable of class performances. The job now is to back it up by claiming a Triple Crown.
He is taking nothing for granted, but if Ireland can pull off wins over Wales and Scotland in Dublin in the closing two rounds of this Six Nations, it would see Farrell adding another achievement to a list that already includes an impressive number of them.
As an assistant, he helped Joe Schmidt’s Ireland to a first-ever win over the Springboks in South Africa and a first-ever victory against the All Blacks in his first year in the set-up. They went on to win the Grand Slam in 2018.
After a shaky start as head coach, as he implemented substantial changes to the set-up on and off the pitch, Farrell got up and running with a Triple Crown in 2022, won the Grand Slam in 2023, claimed the Six Nations title in 2024, then another Triple Crown in 2025.
There was also Ireland’s first-ever series success against New Zealand on Kiwi soil in 2022, as well as their second-ever Test win over the Springboks in South Africa in 2024. There were periods of Ireland being ranked the number one team in the world. Farrell was also named World Rugby coach of the year in 2023.
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Winning the 2023 World Cup was Farrell’s great aim, but Ireland came up just short in the quarter-finals against New Zealand in what was one of the greatest World Cup games ever.
Farrell is still revered by his players. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
The IRFU gave its blessing for Farrell to take on the Lions head coach role in 2025 and he led the tourists to glory in Australia, their first series success in 12 years. The IRFU part-owns the Lions, so he was succeeding on their behalf Down Under too.
Farrell’s win rate of 76% with Ireland is the best of any permanent head coach in the team’s history, just ahead of Schmidt’s 72%.
The manner in which players and assistant coaches speak about Farrell borders on reverence. In an era where the word ‘aura’ is flung around in relation to all sorts of silliness, the Ireland head coach is someone who reminds his charges of what it means. Even players he drops or doesn’t give much game time to believe he is a brilliant coach and a great leader.
Of course, Farrell is also a human being. Like the rest of us, he makes mistakes. There have been tough days for Ireland on his watch, too. But as rugby coaches go, he is as highly rated as they come.
So that’s why the IRFU will be keen to keep him in place as Ireland head coach beyond the 2027 World Cup, when his current contract expires.
The Six Nations is a hectic period for an international head coach, so it’s understood that formal discussions between him and the union about extending his deal may take place after the championship concludes.
But this is the time when others who are interested in Farrell are putting the feelers out.
Saracens have “categorically” denied that they have made an offer to their former player and coach, as well as stating that “misguided” reporting to that effect is “disrespectful” to Farrell, the IRFU, and Brendan Venter, who will take over from Mark McCall as Saracens director of rugby at the end of this season.
But it’s obvious why a club or national team would be interested in acquiring Farrell’s services if he’s open to a change.
While they want to keep him post-2027, the IRFU would obviously understand if Farrell decides that a move back to England or elsewhere is the best thing for him and his family. He owes Irish rugby nothing.
There will be much for Farrell to weigh up. He has often spoken about how much he enjoys living in Ireland. And he speaks in admiring tones about the longevity of Alex Ferguson at Man United, despite Farrell being a huge Man City supporter.
Farrell is contracted until the end of the 2027 World Cup. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
Farrell’s respect for Ferguson’s sustained success, 38 trophies in a 26-year tenure, has always been clear, while he also regularly praises the All Blacks set-up that claimed the 2011 and 2015 World Cups for their ability to keep winning over and over again.
Recently, Farrell has been honest about the level the current Irish squad is at, given the loss of key senior players to retirement in the last few seasons. But he has stated that he believes there is huge potential in his group with the 2027 World Cup in mind.
International coaching is extremely different to the club game, where the day-to-day slog involves no let-up at all. The Test sphere brings pressure on a completely different level, but it comes in bursts that are punctuated by long periods out of camp.
As he gets set for formal discussions with the IRFU, Farrell will also factor in the next Lions tour in 2029. He is the clear favourite to lead that trip to New Zealand as things stand, so it seems likely the scope to take on that role again will be part of whatever deal he strikes next. And like every coach, he will assess whether he can maintain success with Ireland if he stays on beyond 2027.
But before all of that, Farrell will be hellbent on winning another trophy with Ireland in the closing two weeks of the Six Nations.
Nearly 35 years after starting in professional sport with Wigan, his appetite for success seems to remain undiminished.
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The IRFU will want to keep Farrell after the 2027 World Cup
HIS CELEBRATIONS IN the coaching box at Twickenham only endeared Andy Farrell even more to his supporters.
He was already a much-loved figure thanks to his remarkable success with Ireland, but the sight of him punching the air and roaring in delight as his team scored tries and made try-saving tackles was impossible not to enjoy. Unless you were English.
Farrell must be one of the most popular Englishmen in Ireland ever. That said, the Wigan native has Irish ancestry that goes back a few generations, as does his wife, Colleen, whose maiden name is O’Loughlin.
So it was no surprise that they fitted into life in Ireland seamlessly upon arriving in 2016. Farrell did an initial short-term stint as a consultant with Munster before starting his full-time role as Ireland’s defence coach, with the family settling happily in Dublin.
The coastal suburb of Sandymount has become home and Farrell’s passion for Ireland was evident once again last weekend as his team reminded themselves and the world that they’re capable of class performances. The job now is to back it up by claiming a Triple Crown.
He is taking nothing for granted, but if Ireland can pull off wins over Wales and Scotland in Dublin in the closing two rounds of this Six Nations, it would see Farrell adding another achievement to a list that already includes an impressive number of them.
As an assistant, he helped Joe Schmidt’s Ireland to a first-ever win over the Springboks in South Africa and a first-ever victory against the All Blacks in his first year in the set-up. They went on to win the Grand Slam in 2018.
After a shaky start as head coach, as he implemented substantial changes to the set-up on and off the pitch, Farrell got up and running with a Triple Crown in 2022, won the Grand Slam in 2023, claimed the Six Nations title in 2024, then another Triple Crown in 2025.
There was also Ireland’s first-ever series success against New Zealand on Kiwi soil in 2022, as well as their second-ever Test win over the Springboks in South Africa in 2024. There were periods of Ireland being ranked the number one team in the world. Farrell was also named World Rugby coach of the year in 2023.
Winning the 2023 World Cup was Farrell’s great aim, but Ireland came up just short in the quarter-finals against New Zealand in what was one of the greatest World Cup games ever.
The IRFU gave its blessing for Farrell to take on the Lions head coach role in 2025 and he led the tourists to glory in Australia, their first series success in 12 years. The IRFU part-owns the Lions, so he was succeeding on their behalf Down Under too.
Farrell’s win rate of 76% with Ireland is the best of any permanent head coach in the team’s history, just ahead of Schmidt’s 72%.
The manner in which players and assistant coaches speak about Farrell borders on reverence. In an era where the word ‘aura’ is flung around in relation to all sorts of silliness, the Ireland head coach is someone who reminds his charges of what it means. Even players he drops or doesn’t give much game time to believe he is a brilliant coach and a great leader.
Of course, Farrell is also a human being. Like the rest of us, he makes mistakes. There have been tough days for Ireland on his watch, too. But as rugby coaches go, he is as highly rated as they come.
So that’s why the IRFU will be keen to keep him in place as Ireland head coach beyond the 2027 World Cup, when his current contract expires.
The Six Nations is a hectic period for an international head coach, so it’s understood that formal discussions between him and the union about extending his deal may take place after the championship concludes.
But this is the time when others who are interested in Farrell are putting the feelers out.
Saracens have “categorically” denied that they have made an offer to their former player and coach, as well as stating that “misguided” reporting to that effect is “disrespectful” to Farrell, the IRFU, and Brendan Venter, who will take over from Mark McCall as Saracens director of rugby at the end of this season.
But it’s obvious why a club or national team would be interested in acquiring Farrell’s services if he’s open to a change.
While they want to keep him post-2027, the IRFU would obviously understand if Farrell decides that a move back to England or elsewhere is the best thing for him and his family. He owes Irish rugby nothing.
There will be much for Farrell to weigh up. He has often spoken about how much he enjoys living in Ireland. And he speaks in admiring tones about the longevity of Alex Ferguson at Man United, despite Farrell being a huge Man City supporter.
Farrell’s respect for Ferguson’s sustained success, 38 trophies in a 26-year tenure, has always been clear, while he also regularly praises the All Blacks set-up that claimed the 2011 and 2015 World Cups for their ability to keep winning over and over again.
Recently, Farrell has been honest about the level the current Irish squad is at, given the loss of key senior players to retirement in the last few seasons. But he has stated that he believes there is huge potential in his group with the 2027 World Cup in mind.
International coaching is extremely different to the club game, where the day-to-day slog involves no let-up at all. The Test sphere brings pressure on a completely different level, but it comes in bursts that are punctuated by long periods out of camp.
As he gets set for formal discussions with the IRFU, Farrell will also factor in the next Lions tour in 2029. He is the clear favourite to lead that trip to New Zealand as things stand, so it seems likely the scope to take on that role again will be part of whatever deal he strikes next. And like every coach, he will assess whether he can maintain success with Ireland if he stays on beyond 2027.
But before all of that, Farrell will be hellbent on winning another trophy with Ireland in the closing two weeks of the Six Nations.
Nearly 35 years after starting in professional sport with Wigan, his appetite for success seems to remain undiminished.
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