'I don't think he'd have an issue with stepping in. He’s a very reformed character too. I know him well and get on with him very well. I have a lot of time for him.'
"I don't think he'd have an issue with stepping in. He’s a very reformed character too. I know him well and get on with him very well.
I have a lot of time for him.
"Rather the Nass-born Ireland full-back/winger went straight fron school to Leicester Tigers where he had a magnificent career as a player. He retired from rugby as the English Prem's most decorated player ever before a spell as Head Coach at Tigers. There were 72 caps for Ireland and he is famously remembered for catching and hoofing the ball out of play in Cardiff to close out the 2009 Grand Slam.
It was an Ireland career that saw him play regularly with Ronan O'Gara and one that leads him to believe Andy Farrell signing on for another five years is great news. "I think rugby has gone way beyond that now and so it should. I think ROG is a fantastic coach and I would love to see him up in Dublin.
""Yes, he was a proud Munsterman as a player, but you know, since then he’s been around the world, he's coached at the Crusaders, he's coached La Rochelle. "I don't think he'd have an issue with stepping in. He’s a very reformed character too. I know him well and get on with him very well.
I have a lot of time for him.
"Ireland should able to beat Japan this weekend and facing New Zealand at Eden Park helps with the idea they can get a win. "They will expect to get a win against Japan.
Then they go to New Zealand, which is always going to be challenging. They just know how to win. But so do Ireland.
"Being at Eden Park helps Ireland. They have won there; whereas down in Christchurch or Dunedin it can be more challenging with the weather.
"I think Ireland will really go after that game. It’ll be a great Test match, especially off the back of the All Blacks just pipping France.
"It is an important test as Ireland have to keep winning in the Southern Hemisphere if they have World Cup aspirations "That is what Ireland have to do. It is what England did back in 2003, hitting the road in the southern hemisphere and winning against both Australia and New Zealand in the build-up to the tournament.
"Ireland need to consistently show they can do that. This Irish team has a very different mindset to the teams that I grew up watching.
"Now they're expecting to win every game, they're going after every game, and they're playing with great intensity and playing some really nice rugby as well. "If you have aspirations of being World Cup contenders, Ireland must be looking to win games against New Zealand next week. "Remember, Ireland haven’t ever got past the quarter-finals. That is a cold hard fact.
To win a World Cup you have got to beat New Zealand, you have got to beat Australia.
"It’s about confidence and for Andy Farrell building the squad and building that winning mentality so they know that they can nick these big games. "Andy Farrell signing until 2031 is great news, all his comments have been about how happy he is in Ireland, how much he loves the job, likes the people, and is settled, and he is doing a fantastic job.
"The thing I'm really impressed with, and I find amazing having played against him and coached against him, is that you don't ever hear anyone say anything bad about him. He’s just an incredibly good bloke.
"His youngest son is in Blackrock College now, he’s 16 or 17. I'd like to see him playing for Ireland and that would be a fantastic end to the story!
"Meanwhile Murphy isn't as optimistic about England's short term prospects, it’s obvious something is not right. "Richard Wigglesworth is a good coach and was a smart player. He was my last signing before I left Leicester. Maybe you need to have a little bit of a chip on your shoulder and that’s like your trigger.
"I don’t know the dynamics of the group; I don't know who is doing the majority of the coaching but it is obvious something is not right, and that's obviously why England aren't performing. "But rugby is a very strange game, and I could just see that if the penny did drop with Borthwick, England could be very successful with the players they have. "I don’t think they will.
On the back of having made changes and got rid of Eddie Jones, I’m sure Steve and his coaches have bulletproof contracts which would make it too costly for them to be removed. "
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