SIMON EASTERBY SAID he has had no contact with the Welsh Rugby Union [WRU] over the vacant Wales head coach role.
Ireland interim head coach Easterby – who has stepped up in the Irish set-up with Andy Farrell away on Lions duty – has been linked with the Welsh position since Warren Gatland’s departure last week.
While Cardiff head coach Matt Sherratt has been appointed as Wales’ interim boss for the rest of this Six Nations, the WRU has begun a search for Gatland’s long-term successor.
Ex-Ireland international Easterby previously played and coached with Welsh region Scarlets and still lives in Wales with his family.
Easterby has been working with Ireland since 2014, initially as forwards coach before switching to defence coach in 2021. Having head coached the Emerging Ireland team for their tours in 2022 and 2024, Easterby stepped up as interim head coach when Farrell began his role as Lions boss following the autumn internationals.
Easterby is due to lead Ireland on their summer tour to Georgia and Portugal before returning to his defence coach role when Farrell is back from Lions duty next season.
Easterby’s current IRFU contract runs until the 2027 World Cup, meaning he would need to be released by the Irish union or the WRU would have to buy out that deal if they wanted to lure him to Wales.
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However, Easterby said he has had no contact with the Welsh union at this stage.
“Of course there’s been speculation and that’s all it is,” said Easterby this morning ahead of his Ireland side’s Six Nations clash with Wales on Saturday in Cardiff.
Easterby speaking this morning. Tom Maher / INPHO
Tom Maher / INPHO / INPHO
“It’s speculation. I’m not in control of that. I love what I do here. I’ve been in this position with the team for a long time. I’m fortunate that the people I get to work with, both management and players, it’s a dream job.
“So speculation is exactly that, it’s speculation and not something I can control.”
Easterby was asked if he was ruling himself out of possibly taking the job but stopped short of doing so.
“Right now, this is my only focus and whatever happens in the future, in a year’s time you could lose your job and we know in sport it’s fairly fluid with people moving from thing to thing,” said Easterby.
“But whatever’s gone on, I’ve had no contact from the WRU.
“For me, it’s all guns blazing towards Cardiff on Saturday, making sure me and the other coaches prepare the team in the right way. Whatever speculation goes on outside of that is outside my control.”
Easterby confirmed his Ireland matchday 23 to face the Welsh this weekend, with the starting XV showing seven changes from the win over Scotland last time out.
Dan Sheehan will captain Ireland for the first time in Cardiff, stepping into that role after Caelan Doris was ruled out due to injury.
“As you know, Dan has a lot of influence in the way he plays and he’s been part of the leadership group for a good while,” said Easterby of that decision.
“We probably just feel like he is in a really good place himself coming back from injury and the way he influenced the game in the first couple of rounds coming off the bench.
“Obviously with Caelan not available this weekend, we just felt like it was a good time for Dan to grow that leadership within the group, to grow another player to experience something a little bit different around the week and how he handles that.
“He’s captained Leinster at various times as well, so it’s not something he hasn’t done before.”
Jamie Osborne will make his first appearance of this Six Nations. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
Garry Ringrose, Jack Conan, and Sheehan come into the starting side, Joe McCarthy and Mack Hansen are also back after injuries, while Jamie Osborne and Thomas Clarkson get big starting chances.
Easterby confirmed that Hugo Keenan and Ryan Baird, who missed out on the matchday 23, were fit and available for selection.
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Osborne will make his Six Nations debut at fullback and Clarkson will get his first Test start at tighthead prop.
“I think it’s an exciting team,” said Easterby. “I think part of the challenge for all of us as coaches, to select a 15 is tough at times because we have got such competition and part of the competition comes from giving guys opportunity in training, guys going back and playing for their provinces in the fallow weeks, but I think for certain position, we feel like we need to keep growing depth and we need to keep growing experience.
“It’s one thing playing in November internationals, which the likes of Jamie did against Fiji, but it’s another thing getting the experience of playing in the Millennium Stadium with the roof closed in a Six Nations game.
“So those types of things for Jamie and Tom will be new and we believe they will thrive in the environment. Until you get those chances, you don’t really know and I think that’s the excitement of what we’ve selected.
“There is still plenty of experience in the group but there are also guys making their first starts in Six Nations games. It’s an exciting challenge for those to come in and make their mark.”
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'I've had no contact with the WRU' - Ireland's Easterby on Wales links
SIMON EASTERBY SAID he has had no contact with the Welsh Rugby Union [WRU] over the vacant Wales head coach role.
Ireland interim head coach Easterby – who has stepped up in the Irish set-up with Andy Farrell away on Lions duty – has been linked with the Welsh position since Warren Gatland’s departure last week.
While Cardiff head coach Matt Sherratt has been appointed as Wales’ interim boss for the rest of this Six Nations, the WRU has begun a search for Gatland’s long-term successor.
Ex-Ireland international Easterby previously played and coached with Welsh region Scarlets and still lives in Wales with his family.
Easterby has been working with Ireland since 2014, initially as forwards coach before switching to defence coach in 2021. Having head coached the Emerging Ireland team for their tours in 2022 and 2024, Easterby stepped up as interim head coach when Farrell began his role as Lions boss following the autumn internationals.
Easterby is due to lead Ireland on their summer tour to Georgia and Portugal before returning to his defence coach role when Farrell is back from Lions duty next season.
Easterby’s current IRFU contract runs until the 2027 World Cup, meaning he would need to be released by the Irish union or the WRU would have to buy out that deal if they wanted to lure him to Wales.
However, Easterby said he has had no contact with the Welsh union at this stage.
“Of course there’s been speculation and that’s all it is,” said Easterby this morning ahead of his Ireland side’s Six Nations clash with Wales on Saturday in Cardiff.
“It’s speculation. I’m not in control of that. I love what I do here. I’ve been in this position with the team for a long time. I’m fortunate that the people I get to work with, both management and players, it’s a dream job.
“So speculation is exactly that, it’s speculation and not something I can control.”
Easterby was asked if he was ruling himself out of possibly taking the job but stopped short of doing so.
“Right now, this is my only focus and whatever happens in the future, in a year’s time you could lose your job and we know in sport it’s fairly fluid with people moving from thing to thing,” said Easterby.
“But whatever’s gone on, I’ve had no contact from the WRU.
“For me, it’s all guns blazing towards Cardiff on Saturday, making sure me and the other coaches prepare the team in the right way. Whatever speculation goes on outside of that is outside my control.”
Easterby confirmed his Ireland matchday 23 to face the Welsh this weekend, with the starting XV showing seven changes from the win over Scotland last time out.
Dan Sheehan will captain Ireland for the first time in Cardiff, stepping into that role after Caelan Doris was ruled out due to injury.
“As you know, Dan has a lot of influence in the way he plays and he’s been part of the leadership group for a good while,” said Easterby of that decision.
“We probably just feel like he is in a really good place himself coming back from injury and the way he influenced the game in the first couple of rounds coming off the bench.
“Obviously with Caelan not available this weekend, we just felt like it was a good time for Dan to grow that leadership within the group, to grow another player to experience something a little bit different around the week and how he handles that.
“He’s captained Leinster at various times as well, so it’s not something he hasn’t done before.”
Garry Ringrose, Jack Conan, and Sheehan come into the starting side, Joe McCarthy and Mack Hansen are also back after injuries, while Jamie Osborne and Thomas Clarkson get big starting chances.
Easterby confirmed that Hugo Keenan and Ryan Baird, who missed out on the matchday 23, were fit and available for selection.
Osborne will make his Six Nations debut at fullback and Clarkson will get his first Test start at tighthead prop.
“I think it’s an exciting team,” said Easterby. “I think part of the challenge for all of us as coaches, to select a 15 is tough at times because we have got such competition and part of the competition comes from giving guys opportunity in training, guys going back and playing for their provinces in the fallow weeks, but I think for certain position, we feel like we need to keep growing depth and we need to keep growing experience.
“It’s one thing playing in November internationals, which the likes of Jamie did against Fiji, but it’s another thing getting the experience of playing in the Millennium Stadium with the roof closed in a Six Nations game.
“So those types of things for Jamie and Tom will be new and we believe they will thrive in the environment. Until you get those chances, you don’t really know and I think that’s the excitement of what we’ve selected.
“There is still plenty of experience in the group but there are also guys making their first starts in Six Nations games. It’s an exciting challenge for those to come in and make their mark.”
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