AS HE STOOD in the corridor leading to the Irish dressing room, with players and staff coming and going, Andy Farrell was honest about where his team is.
Honest, but defiant.
The Ireland head coach essentially admitted that the big occasion at Eden Park got to them. The chance for his side to make history resulted in a high error count. That’s where Farrell felt the string of damaging passing and handling errors came from.
Yet, he was insistent that Ireland can be the best team in the world.
In fact, he believes it is imperative that they are the very best ‘team’ in rugby, in the sense that the sum of their parts needs to be greater than anyone else’s because of the individual athleticism and skill teams like New Zealand, France and South Africa possess.
“I believe we’ve got to be the best team in the world – emphasis on ‘team’ and all the variations of what makes that, in our opinion,” said Farrell, who was disappointed but far from despondent.
“Because there’s unbelievable athletes in our team, but you can see the magic that some of these athletes [in other teams] can do.
“But that doesn’t say that we can’t beat them. We can.
“We’re here sat in the dressing room again and probably reflecting on what should have been, never mind what could have been. It could have been better obviously, but we should have given a better account of ourselves if we’re being honest.”
Farrell’s ambition is to win the 2027 World Cup with Ireland.
And he stressed that he genuinely thinks Ireland can be the leading side in world rugby.
“Yeah, I definitely do,” said Farrell.
“And it’s up to us as coaches to come to the party on that and challenge the players and show them how to do that and make sure that the players have got the hunger to come back into pre-season and show that they’re willing to take that challenge on.”
It was a tough night at Eden Park, but Farrell thinks it can be a valuable lesson for his team if they channel it in the right way.
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Failing to deliver their accurate best when the pressure was on might be cause for concern. Some people will see it as a weakness in the mental make-up of the Irish squad, one that cannot be improved.
Garry Ringrose and Dan Sheehan after Ireland's loss. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
But Farrell has a growth mindset around this mental part of the game, in which Ireland performance coach Gary Keegan has a major role.
“I mean, we bigged this up and we always do because we want to put pressure on ourselves to be able to deal with big occasions,” said Farrell
“We built this up to be a big game and the uncharacteristic errors that we’re talking about is something that we need to address because if you want to be at the right end of where you want to be in 15 months’ time, then that’s what you’ve got to deal with.
“So therefore, there’s a big lesson there.”
Farrell said that if the occasion did get to Ireland, they cannot shy away from that.
“If it did, then you want to address that.
“I think the lads always prepare well, and I don’t say that lightly. They’re unbelievably diligent in their work, but obviously, we need to find a little bit extra to make sure that they’re able to cope, not just physically.
“They cope physically, they’re fit, but I suppose it’s the mental side of things.”
This 2025/26 season has been an up-and-down one for Ireland, with notable lows against South Africa in Dublin, France in Paris, and New Zealand in both Chicago and Auckland.
The highs included a big home win over the Wallabies in Dublin in November and another one in Sydney this month. The Six Nations recovery to claim the Triple Crown was impressive.
The campaign concluded with this Nations Championship tour to Australia and New Zealand, one that Farrell senses will be good for his squad as four players – Billy Bohan, Sam Illo, Sean Jansen, and Bryn Ward – made their Test debuts against Japan.
“I was excited about this tour because of the Southern Hemisphere and the differences in that and the personnel that we’re leaving at home and coming out here,” said Farrell.
“It’s been great because it’s given people a taste of the difference. You don’t know until you know but having said that, you’d be a fool not to learn the lessons from it.
“I still think the Australian win, first off because of the pressure that Australia were under and the billing of the game and the full stadium and all of that and the way that they [Ireland] played, the character. It weren’t a perfect performance, don’t get me wrong, but the fight and the character, it was a hell of a win.
“And then giving people the experience of coming over here and putting an Irish jersey on last week, I mean, that’s not to be sniffed at for us going forward.
“You look at someone like Billy Bohan, you think, do you give him another shot here [against New Zealand], but he’s done fantastically well to come on against Japan and to push his way into starting in Connacht. There’s going to be big things for all the young lads going forward.”
Sean Jansen won his first two caps on this tour. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
One of the things Farrell will ponder ahead of next season is how Ireland are playing the game, which has changed at the top level.
The transition part of rugby is more important than ever, with fast teams like France and New Zealand clearly loving the state of play.
Ireland’s attacking approach remains more systematic and they’re content to hang onto the ball into high phases. It was surprising that they didn’t kick more than 15 times in play against the Kiwis, although there was perhaps concern about giving up those transition chances.
Asked where he thinks Ireland can add new layers to their tactical approach, Farrell said it needs to happen across the board.
“I’d say most of the aspects of the game. I think everyone can see now where the game has gone or where it’s going. People can reflect on that and adapt and get better at what they see is going to be their advantage in the way that the game is going to be played.
“I don’t see too much change over the next 12 months within that. So, I suppose we know which direction the game is going, so we need to find our way within that.
The Irish players go into their summer break after a long season on a down note, but Farrell is adamant about an optimistic outlook.
He’s not concerned about his players stewing over the loss to New Zealand for too long.
The second window of the Nations Championship in November, when Ireland play Argentina, Fiji and South Africa in Dublin, won’t be long coming around.
“Pre-season will be on us before we know it,” said Farrell. “Everyone deserves a break, I’m sure you all agree with that.
“But once the dust has settled and they’re sick of sunbathing, then hopefully they reflect properly and come back into pre-season on 31 August and hit the ground running for the start of what’s going to be a massive year ahead.”
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Farrell optimistic in believing Ireland can be the best team in the world
AS HE STOOD in the corridor leading to the Irish dressing room, with players and staff coming and going, Andy Farrell was honest about where his team is.
Honest, but defiant.
The Ireland head coach essentially admitted that the big occasion at Eden Park got to them. The chance for his side to make history resulted in a high error count. That’s where Farrell felt the string of damaging passing and handling errors came from.
Yet, he was insistent that Ireland can be the best team in the world.
In fact, he believes it is imperative that they are the very best ‘team’ in rugby, in the sense that the sum of their parts needs to be greater than anyone else’s because of the individual athleticism and skill teams like New Zealand, France and South Africa possess.
“I believe we’ve got to be the best team in the world – emphasis on ‘team’ and all the variations of what makes that, in our opinion,” said Farrell, who was disappointed but far from despondent.
“Because there’s unbelievable athletes in our team, but you can see the magic that some of these athletes [in other teams] can do.
“But that doesn’t say that we can’t beat them. We can.
“We’re here sat in the dressing room again and probably reflecting on what should have been, never mind what could have been. It could have been better obviously, but we should have given a better account of ourselves if we’re being honest.”
Farrell’s ambition is to win the 2027 World Cup with Ireland.
And he stressed that he genuinely thinks Ireland can be the leading side in world rugby.
“Yeah, I definitely do,” said Farrell.
“And it’s up to us as coaches to come to the party on that and challenge the players and show them how to do that and make sure that the players have got the hunger to come back into pre-season and show that they’re willing to take that challenge on.”
It was a tough night at Eden Park, but Farrell thinks it can be a valuable lesson for his team if they channel it in the right way.
Failing to deliver their accurate best when the pressure was on might be cause for concern. Some people will see it as a weakness in the mental make-up of the Irish squad, one that cannot be improved.
But Farrell has a growth mindset around this mental part of the game, in which Ireland performance coach Gary Keegan has a major role.
“I mean, we bigged this up and we always do because we want to put pressure on ourselves to be able to deal with big occasions,” said Farrell
“We built this up to be a big game and the uncharacteristic errors that we’re talking about is something that we need to address because if you want to be at the right end of where you want to be in 15 months’ time, then that’s what you’ve got to deal with.
“So therefore, there’s a big lesson there.”
Farrell said that if the occasion did get to Ireland, they cannot shy away from that.
“If it did, then you want to address that.
“I think the lads always prepare well, and I don’t say that lightly. They’re unbelievably diligent in their work, but obviously, we need to find a little bit extra to make sure that they’re able to cope, not just physically.
“They cope physically, they’re fit, but I suppose it’s the mental side of things.”
This 2025/26 season has been an up-and-down one for Ireland, with notable lows against South Africa in Dublin, France in Paris, and New Zealand in both Chicago and Auckland.
The highs included a big home win over the Wallabies in Dublin in November and another one in Sydney this month. The Six Nations recovery to claim the Triple Crown was impressive.
The campaign concluded with this Nations Championship tour to Australia and New Zealand, one that Farrell senses will be good for his squad as four players – Billy Bohan, Sam Illo, Sean Jansen, and Bryn Ward – made their Test debuts against Japan.
“I was excited about this tour because of the Southern Hemisphere and the differences in that and the personnel that we’re leaving at home and coming out here,” said Farrell.
“It’s been great because it’s given people a taste of the difference. You don’t know until you know but having said that, you’d be a fool not to learn the lessons from it.
“I still think the Australian win, first off because of the pressure that Australia were under and the billing of the game and the full stadium and all of that and the way that they [Ireland] played, the character. It weren’t a perfect performance, don’t get me wrong, but the fight and the character, it was a hell of a win.
“And then giving people the experience of coming over here and putting an Irish jersey on last week, I mean, that’s not to be sniffed at for us going forward.
“You look at someone like Billy Bohan, you think, do you give him another shot here [against New Zealand], but he’s done fantastically well to come on against Japan and to push his way into starting in Connacht. There’s going to be big things for all the young lads going forward.”
One of the things Farrell will ponder ahead of next season is how Ireland are playing the game, which has changed at the top level.
The transition part of rugby is more important than ever, with fast teams like France and New Zealand clearly loving the state of play.
Ireland’s attacking approach remains more systematic and they’re content to hang onto the ball into high phases. It was surprising that they didn’t kick more than 15 times in play against the Kiwis, although there was perhaps concern about giving up those transition chances.
Asked where he thinks Ireland can add new layers to their tactical approach, Farrell said it needs to happen across the board.
“I’d say most of the aspects of the game. I think everyone can see now where the game has gone or where it’s going. People can reflect on that and adapt and get better at what they see is going to be their advantage in the way that the game is going to be played.
“I don’t see too much change over the next 12 months within that. So, I suppose we know which direction the game is going, so we need to find our way within that.
The Irish players go into their summer break after a long season on a down note, but Farrell is adamant about an optimistic outlook.
He’s not concerned about his players stewing over the loss to New Zealand for too long.
The second window of the Nations Championship in November, when Ireland play Argentina, Fiji and South Africa in Dublin, won’t be long coming around.
“Pre-season will be on us before we know it,” said Farrell. “Everyone deserves a break, I’m sure you all agree with that.
“But once the dust has settled and they’re sick of sunbathing, then hopefully they reflect properly and come back into pre-season on 31 August and hit the ground running for the start of what’s going to be a massive year ahead.”
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