It didn’t take long for Andrew Goodman to bite when the conversation fell around leaving Leinster and Leo Cullen to replace Mike Catt in Andy Farrell’s Irish system. Goodman was asked to cut loose one dream job for another after barely 18 months. He arrived to Leinster in June 2022 and will join the Irish squad at the end of the season.
It is still not nailed down as to whether he will travel with the Irish team on their summer tour to South Africa in July. If Leinster make the United Rugby League (URC) final on June 2nd, it is two days before the Irish players arrive in camp. The mood is that it would be beneficial to travel with them before dropping in for next November’s international series.
“It came about through a few conversations, and did I have to think about it? Not really, not with the opportunity to test yourself at the highest level possible,” says Goodman.
“Like the players here, everyone is striving to get to the highest level possible. It’s the same as a coach and that is the highest level possible. The thoughts of being able to coach in the Six Nations, go through a summer tour, go to a World Cup is something that I’m really looking forward to.
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“Yeah, to tour to South Africa in a Test series, yeah, again, look it doesn’t get much better than that, really. To be confirmed, at this stage. I grew [up] watching . . . getting up early morning in New Zealand with my old man watching the Test series in South Africa, those Test match arenas over there are pretty hostile environments and against the world champions, so yeah it’s something I’d be hugely excited about being involved in.”
There are some comforts in making the move in that a solid block of the Irish backline are Leinster players he works with day to day. Goodman knows James Lowe from school days in New Zealand with Garry Ringrose, Jamison Gibson-Park, Robbie Henshaw and Hugo Keenan also among Farrell’s first picks for Ireland.
“When you go to a new setting it is nice to have some familiar faces around but the thing that excites me most is meeting new people all the time, learning off them and new ways of doing things and hopefully contributing to different players and getting the best out of them,” he says.
“There is mixed emotions because I love coming in here every day and I’m very proud to have played for Leinster, albeit for a very short time. To come back and coach here has been exceptional.
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“I’m really looking forward to seeing, how they do things, but also adding my flavour into making sure I contribute to the evolution of the Ireland game.”
Goodman and Leinster have qualified for the next phase of the Champion’s Cup but hope to secure a home venue for the knockout stage.
There remains some degree of wait and see over the outhalf position with both Harry Byrne and Ciaran Frawley to be assessed later in the week before Leinster travel to Leicester. Byrne rolled an ankle and Frawley left the field with a rib injury in Leinster’s win over Stade Francais on Saturday.
That sequence brought the 20-year-old Sam Prendergast, into the match. The former Newbridge College student made his second start of the season against Ulster just a few weeks ago.
“Frawls [Frawley] was moving around there on the field today,” says Goodman. “Harry has got a little bit to do but he’s doing everything he can to get back on the field. We’ll have plenty of options there at 10 with young Sam in there as well, getting good reps and training well and getting better every day.
“I think he [Prendergast] is very composed for a young lad. He’s got a great eye for space. He’s not afraid to call the space when it’s on. He does so much time in front of the computer and he spends time with people, having conversations, asking questions.
“He’s getting some great reps out on the training field so we’ve got every confidence in Sam to do the job when required.”
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