Andy Farrell

The Ireland head coach has steered his team to a series victory in New Zealand.

New faces were encouraged just to be themselves on and off the pitch. He gave them responsibility on the pitch, told them to back themselves and do their thing. Two maul tries in one game against the All Blacks is truly remarkable. The Irish defence started to become more impactful. Onwards to the 2022 Six Nations and though there was disappointment in Paris as Sexton missed out through injury, it was a strong championship for Farrell’s men. And the longstanding stalwarts have found new energy under Farrell. Sexton is a good example. Farrell was selfless enough to admit that change was required. This writer was among those to criticise Catt but he has proven himself in style. Their clear and total belief in the Farrell project was telling. Ireland were inarguably the better team over the course of the three games. We had to wait until November 2021 to confirm that those promising signs were really Ireland taking the next step. Remember too that they beat the Māori All Blacks with an excellent performance from the wider squad.