Andy Farrell loves life in Ireland and is not interested in chasing a coaching role in England as he seeks to snatch Grand Slam glory against his native country.
The 47-year-old crossed the Irish Sea to become defensive back coach Joe Schmidt in 2016 on the heels of leaving a similar role with England following the arrival of Eddie Jones.
He has greatly boosted his coaching reputation in Dublin, captaining Ireland to a stunning win over New Zealand, topping the world rankings and brinking a clean sweep of the Guinness Six Nations since replacing Schmidt as head coach after the 2019 World Cup.
Rugby Football Union chief executive Bill Sweeney said on the back of the success of last summer’s historic tour of New Zealand that Farrell was “highly regarded” amid a recruitment drive to identify Jones’ successor as England manager.
Farrell has subsequently extended his contract with Ireland to 2025 and has no regrets about leaving his homeland, while feeling “eternally grateful” for the sacrifices made by his uprooted family.
He said, “When you make a decision, you commit and that’s it.” “And, you know, I am very fortunate that it was not only me who committed, but my wife and children as well.
“Because whether you think it’s a close flight or connecting flight or whatever with the UK, she’s still living abroad. It’s a big step for, you know, the kids are out of school.
Why (leave Ireland)? We love it here. We love life here and the rugby is also good.
Andy Farrell
“It was a commitment from the family. And whenever I look back, I’m forever grateful that they showed me that commitment, you know, because it was only because of me, right?
“We’ve raised sticks, kids gone away from their friends, etc., and that kind of commitment is something I’ll never forget from my family.”
Asked if he felt the need to pursue a home-based job, he replied: “No, why us? We love it here. We love life here and rugby is good too.”
Farrell is set to take on a host of familiar faces at a sold-out Aviva Stadium this weekend in St Patrick’s.
His son, Owen Farrell, will captain the England team coached by former Saracens captain and fellow international Steve Borthwick.
He backed Farrell Borthwick to eventually shoot England after a rocky start that led to a disappointing Calcutta Cup against Scotland and defeat to France.
“Obviously we’re very aware of each other’s traits,” Farrell said of Borthwick, who was a fellow coach on the 2017 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand.
“He’s a great coach. When you worked with him on the Lions, I mean the proof is in the pudding, right? Ask the players, they’re the important ones and for a guy everyone was raving about coming back from the Lions tour.
“Steve isn’t resting on his laurels either. He’ll enjoy the challenge too, to make sure he gets better as a manager, and there’s no doubt he’ll fit in with England.”
Farrell Jr. is back in the England No. 10 shirt after being dropped for the France game and will face Ireland’s veteran captain Johnny Sexton, who is preparing for his final Six Nations game before retiring after the autumn World Cup.
Andy Farrell said, “I think Owen and Johnny are pretty much alike in terms of driving and fighting and wanting.”
“They are both super competitors and they will make sure their team is of the same mentality as well. That is why I said that England will be very dangerous this weekend with a mentality like that.”
DISCLAIMER:- Denial of responsibility! olorinews.com is an automatic aggregator around the global media. All the content are available free on Internet. We have just arranged it in one platform for educational purpose only. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, all materials to their authors. If you are the owner of the content and do not want us to publish your materials on our website, please contact us by email at loginhelponline@gmail.com The content will be deleted within 24 hours.