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Simon Easterby was capped 65 times for Ireland. Dan Sheridan/INPHO
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Lack of speculation suggests Simon Easterby is odds-on to join Ireland coaching team

Former Connacht and Wolfhounds hooker Adrian Flavin suggests Dan McFarland may be another option to replace John Plumtree.

IT IS ON every coach’s target list to work at international level. I can’t speak for Simon Easterby but I would be surprised if he does not have similar ambitions.

He has been 15 years, as a player and a coach, at Scarlets and may feel it is time for a change. If Joe Schmidt were to approach him about taking the vacant Ireland forwards coach job, he would find it hard, I feel, to turn it down.

Welsh rugby has been severely hamstrung, for almost a decade, by in-fighting and accusations. It has drawn in the players and led to them being picked up by strong offers from abroad. Luke Charteris recently said he preferred to stay away as there was still confusion over central or club contracts. The region is in a bit of a mess at the moment so it is possibly a good time for Easterby to step away.

He would be coming into a Irish coaching set-up that is on a roll and into a department where John Plumtree has laid some solid foundations. He would like, I’m sure, to add his own stamp to the team but being surrounded by top-class players makes that transition easier.

The other likely candidate would be Connacht’s Dan McFarland. He has gained some good experience with the U20s and has done well with Emerging Ireland. Schmidt would be the type of man who will not make any appointment lightly. Jono Gibbes [Clermont] and Vern Cotter [Scotland] are tied up but I imagine will scour every corner of the rugby world to find the right fit.

The telling part of the Easterby speculation is the lack of other names. There are usually a lot of names linked and put out there. Easterby’s name keeps cropping up and that would suggest that those in the know are on to something.

Simon Easterby and Mark Ascombe Easterby and Mark Anscombe chat at a Pro12 awards dinner in 2013. Billy Stickland / INPHO Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO

The Ulster shake-up has taken most of us by surprise and they have had a tough four or five weeks. We knew Johann Muller and John Afoa were leaving but Stephen Ferris’ retirement and the departure of David Humphreys and now Mark Anscombe will set them back. However, I feel the upheaval may ultimately benefit a hugely talented squad of players.

I worked with [Ireland defence coach and interim Ulster director of rugby] Les Kiss before and found him to be very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. It was a real pleasure. The plaudits the Ulster players came out with, soon after his appointment, speaks volumes for the respect he is held at within Irish rugby circles. I imagine that neither Ulster or the IRFU would have agreed to his job-share if it was to significantly clash with his duties.

It was a strange turn of events up at Ravenhill. Perhaps the board felt that, after the departure of David Humphreys, Mr. Ulster, that it was time for a change and two was better than one. The players are talking about winning silverware and although Anscombe got close on a couple of occasions, a new face might get them over the line.

Saying that, there is an opportunity now for Kiss to take a lot of the work and media burden off Neil Doak and Jonny Bell and see how they settle in as a coaching team. It would be nice to see them getting a chance with Kiss or another director of rugby brought in. Northampton Saints would be a good example, with Jim Mallinder the director and Dorian West and Alex King doing the bulk of the coaching duties.

The Ulster players will certainly raise their game under the increased exposure to a quality coach like Kiss. The players will see it as motivation to raise the bar as they’ll think ‘Bloody hell, Les Kiss is watching me know’. Whether it will directly correlate to the national team, I don’t know but Ulster will definitely reap the rewards.

@adrianflavin played 159 times for Connacht between 2006 and 2013 and earned two Ireland Wolfhounds caps.

Honey Badger Nick Cummins is moving to play in Japan, will miss the Rugby World Cup

What would Simon Easterby bring to the Ireland coaching set-up?

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