Andy Farrell's tenure as Ireland defence coach began on Monday morning in Enfield during a 24-hour get together for the squad and management when he communicated his philosophy during a brief pitch session.
The former Saracens and England defence coach would have been familiar to plenty of players in the national squad after fulfilling that particular remit with the Test series winning Lions in Australia (2013) and also time spent in an advisory capacity with Munster earlier in the season.
Farrell was precluded from taking any role with Ireland during the recent Six Nations Championship; there were stipulations in his contract with the English RFU that prevented him, despite being sacked as England's defence coach after the recent World Cup. Monday was his first chance to work with an Irish squad that will build to the three-Test series against South Africa in June.
One player – and there are many former and current players who have spoken glowingly about the former rugby union and league international – who is greatly enthused by Farrell's appointment is Jamie Heaslip.
The Leinster and Ireland number eight worked under Farrell during the Lions tour to Australia.
Good coach
Speaking at the launch of the Bank of Ireland Leinster Rugby camps, Heaslip said: “Obviously, we’d known him and those lucky enough to have been on that Lions tour were very excited when we heard the news. He’s a very good coach and he’s a fantastic lad.
“The lads were a bit intimidated by the size of him. I said: ‘wait until you see him train in the gym’ because he can still bang it out. I’m pretty excited. He was showing us what he’s about.
“Different coaches have different words that like to use within the system. Systems vary a little bit and he was just getting us on his page, using his language. That has been blended into what we have. It has been somewhat seamless.
“But, it was real exciting. The training session on Monday morning was about 45-minutes (to) an hour and it was ‘D stuff, getting on that page with the different systems.”
Heaslip was asked what makes Farrell, who takes over the role vacated by Ulster's Les Kiss, different as a defence coach. "He's got a lot of emotion. He's quite analytical. He's got his systems. He's got his way of playing. He's got a really good blend of both.
“I can’t tell you too much. He’s tuned-in and he loves his ‘D’ and he’s excited about the opportunity that we might have ahead.”
Leinster and Ireland loosehead prop Jack McGrath was well versed with the stories about Farrell but earlier in the week was a firsthand experience and one he thoroughly enjoyed.
In keeping with any change in a coaching set-up, players begin with a clean slate. McGrath said: “He is taking everyone on an even par. I think he is making up his own mind on what he sees in training. We had a good session on Monday down in camp.
“His ideas are really good. England and Saracens haven’t had exceptional defences by accident. He’s been behind it and it is something I am looking forward to getting my teeth into. He is a really passionate guy about it and with the quality of coaches we have there, adding him to it, it’s going to be excellent.”
A provincial focus pertains for the next few weeks but Ireland coach Joe Schmidt took the opportunity in Enfield to briefly address the summer tour to South Africa, including some footage of the 2004, when the visitors pushed the Springboks close particularly in the second test in Cape Town.
Ireland have never won a test match in South Africa and Heaslip was regaling those who hoped to tour about playing on the high veld and the intensity and intimidation that would await them from his experiences on the 2009 Lions tour.
He also spoke about playing at the Newlands stadium in Cape Town – Ireland take on the Springboks there in the first test – the vertiginous stands, that create a claustrophobic aspect for those on the pitch.
He explained: “You just feel a kind of weight on top of you. It is a little like the way they close the roof in Cardiff. There is this heaviness. You feel like you’re in a Coliseum. You are going into battle and you’ve just got this heaviness, this thickness in the air of raw power. It’s a cauldron and a real melting pot.”
Meanwhile, Leinster’s Fergus McFadden has been suspended until Sunday, May 22nd, following his citing for a tackle in last Friday’s win over Edinburgh at the RDS. He was given a three-week ban but in effect it works out as five because of the European weekends in which he was not playing.
