Warren Gatland says Ireland have benefitted from ‘favourable’ Six Nations draws
Appointing Simon Easterby as Ireland's head coach while Andy Farrell is with the British & Irish Lions was a no-brainer. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inphotaking a sabbatical from his day job is that not alone should his experience as the man overseeing the British & Irish Lions make him a better coach but the extra responsibilities ought to benefit the entire Irish coaching staff.
“I’d like to think that I’ve got a fairly good grounding now over the last 10/11 years coming from being a head coach in the Scarlets to transitioning into being an assistant coach under Joe and now Faz and working with some incredible people, incredible coaches who love every minute of what we do. Easterby will stay at the helm when Ireland play summer Tests against Georgia and Portugal, the venue of the former game unresolved as yet due to the political unrest there.
Apart from Farrell’s sabbatical, the coaching staff remains unaltered from the autumn, with Easterby still overseeing the defence. In addition, there is continuity in selection and preparation. “I thought from a Lions perspective it was paramount because you have got to pull yourself away from that if you want to be seen as neutral as you possibly can be. If you’re going to watch another team train you’ve got to build trust that you’re not going to share any of the ideas or things you’ve seen.
There will be a feeling around that Farrell will continue to pull the strings in the background, but this didn’t apply when Gatland took his two sabbaticals and is unlikely to do so on this occasion. “Yes, Andy’s going to be cheering for Ireland and wanting them to do well and Simon to do well in that role, but he’s got to be able to step back a little bit and get trust from other coaches and players.”
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