News about Andy Farrell

Simon Easterby will take over as interim Ireland head coach during Andy Farrell's time in charge of the British and Irish Lions. Farrell is set to oversee autumn Tests against New Zealand, Argentina, Fiji and Australia in Dublin before temporarily departing his role to lead next year's Lions tour against the Wallabies. Defence coach Easterby will take control from December 1 and steer Ireland through the 2025 Guinness Six Nations and a subsequent summer tour, details of which are yet to be confirmed.

In 2023, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso was playing club rugby with Taunton. After ending last season scoring for England against the All Blacks , he is no longer under the radar. The Exeter wing has admitted as much. Feyi-Waboso had a breakout campaign last term both with club and country. Now, the 21-year-old's challenge is to continue that progression.

EXCLUSIVE BY CHRIS FOY: The Lions are in talks about facing a combined Pacific Island XV in Melbourne next year, in a potentially blockbuster tour fixture between the first and second Tests against Australia. Following the collapse of the Rebels franchise, which had been based in the state capital of Victoria, officials from Rugby Australia and the Lions have been contingency planning to establish alternative opposition options for the game on July 22, 2025 at Marvel Stadium. Initially, there were indications that an invitational side would be created under the banner of Australia 'A' or Melbourne, based on a squad of Australian players, but the focus has now shifted to an imported solution. Mail Sport understands that talks were due to take place today (Thursday) in Paris, between RA and Lions board members, with the fixture change among several items on the agenda. Sources have revealed that the latest scenario being discussed is for a Pacific Islanders team to take on the Lions - armed with leading Test players from each of Fiji, Samoa and Tonga, subject to co-operation from the unions in those countries.

CHRIS FOY IN SYDNEY: Joe Schmidt knows there is a storm coming in a year's time, but Australia's new head coach has launched his latest salvage operation with a timely warning to the Lions. Schmidt was lured across the Tasman Sea after helping the All Blacks rally from a state of utter disarray, all the way to the World Cup Final in Paris, where they lost by a point to the Springboks . The man who previously worked wonders with Ireland now has a new mission.

CHRIS FOY: Steve Borthwick will be in charge of England's prospective Americas tour next summer, after ruling himself out of contention for a role in the Lions management team. It is understood that Borthwick has indicated he would not accept an invitation to join the British and Irish venture Down Under, as he is determined to prioritise the development of his young and promising England team.

EXCLUSIVE BY CHRIS FOY: Mail Sport understands that plans are locked in already for two internationals against Argentina in 2025, in keeping with recent tradition for trips to South America in Lions years. But it is believed there is a chance that they will venture to North America too, which would represent a significant break with modern-day touring patterns. England's travels have become limited to so-called 'Tier 1' nations in the last two decades and more. In 2021, the national team hosted the USA and Canada while Covid restrictions remained in place.

CHRIS FOY - WORLD OF RUGBY:Jack Willis cannot play for England at the moment but he has proved yet again why he should do. The flanker's performance on Saturday was an 'exceptional circumstance' in its own right. That is the flexibility clause in the RFU edict which forbids the selection of players employed outside the Premiership. Willis's exploits in the Champions Cup final, in the colours of triumphant Toulouse, were so exceptional that it should activate that clause.

South Africa's double World Cup winner Eben Etzebeth has described Ireland's players as 'arrogant' after revealing they told him they would meet his team in last year's World Cup final. At the 2023 tournament in France, the Springboks were beaten 13-8 by Andy Farrell's side in what was a pool stage clash. Despite that defeat, South Africa went on to beat New Zealand in the final. Ireland, meanwhile, were knocked out at the quarter-final stage by the All Blacks.

CHRIS FOY, THE WORLD OF RUGBY: Ireland retained their Six Nations title after winning after a hard-fought victory on Saturday afternoon in Dublin. Andy Farrell's side was the team to beat during the tournament, with France finishing second and England barely beating 33-31 in their match in Lyon on Saturday night due to a last gasp kick from Thomas Ramos. However, Wales was sad, with a 21-24 loss to Italy that put an end to Wales' Six Nations campaign with the wooden spoon. Despite Wales' two late attempts from Will Rowlands and Mason Grady, Warren Gatland's men who were outplayed by an impressive Italian side were perhaps flattering.

IAN HERBERT IN DUBLIN: Andy Farrell spent Saturday morning on the touchline of a Dublin junior rugby field, watching his son play for the Blackrock College Under 13s in their win over St Michael's College. He should have done so on the day when Ireland announced themselves to be the world's best rugby nation. Of course, the Ireland coach's motives were paternal. On Saturday night, he was delighted to announce that he had told his boy, Gabriel, that Blackrock's victory had put him some anxiety,' because imagine you winning and we not.' However, the strength of the country's junior rugby explains why Ireland went out a few hours later and won back-to-back Six Nations titles for the third time in history. The emerald isle may have lost to England, but they have defeated them back to the throne with a sliver of their player base and a swish of their money. By recruiting talent like no one else, it has established itself as Europe's best rugby nation.

SIR CLIVEWOODWARD: I thought the first two games of Six Nations' 'Super Saturday' were quite disappointing. The tournament's last game of the 2024 Championships was also alive. The England-France match was fantastic. By the time it was announced, Ireland had already deservedly claimed the title. But Steve Borthwick's team and France produced a special 80 minutes. It was clear to me how both teams mingled at the last whistle and discussed a game to remember. We're here discussing the positive way England has played, not just about pick.

IAN HERBERT: For the majority of the match, Scotland maintained a knife edge, with Farrell claiming it made the 17-13 victory even sweeter. If Ireland had not lost to England, it would have been a memorable first of back-to-back Grand Slams for Ireland, but Farrell said losing at Twickenham brought the most value of all the team's matches in the tournament. Despite winning only two matches, Scotland captain Finn Russell said he thinks his team is improving, but he must avoid doing so much in games.

Six Nations' blockbuster came to an end, with Ireland as the crowned champions once more. Andy Farrell's team survived a thrilling showdown against a defiant Scotland to keep their title, delving England to drop third after a dramatic loss to France. After Thomas Ramos kicked a penalty in the final minute, England barely got out in Lyon, but Scotland did finish higher than Scotland in two bonus points. But which players stood out at the tournament and who scored the best try? Here is Mail Sport's NIK SIMON's picks...

Ireland held their nerve in a dramatic final in Dublin to keep the Six Nations title. With a converted Dan Sheehan try and Jack Crowley's penalty, Andy Farrell's side led 7-6 at halftime. As Ireland piled on the pressure, Furlong was refused a try by the TMO and Henshaw was detained on the line.

IAN HERBERT: The Irish people have returned home for St Patrick's weekend, with talk of glory in the air. Given that a victory or draw against Scotland will clinch the Six Nations championship, this seems to be the optimum elision of time and place. However, there is still the tenacious, dreary, 'if-only' that has stalked Ireland's capital ever since the last-gasp England drop goal at Twickenham a week ago. A triumph over the English would have been the start of Ireland's return to the Six Nations era's first back-to-back Grand Slams.

WORLD OF RUGBY: Six Nations 'Super Saturday' is coming, and it has become a very popular triple-header to bring the annual tournament to a close. If the games ran concurrently, it would make it even more awesome. Of course, it is a made-for-television blockbuster schedule that runs for the first eight hours. At 2.15 p.m. UK time, Wales versus Italy will meet in the final, and the France-England match is expected to conclude a few minutes before ten p.m. Ireland is on track to win another title in game two in front of their home audience in Dublin, but imagine if there was an unexpected twist. With the latest timetable, those playing earlier are likely to go for broke, but later games have the benefit of knowing exactly what they need to do. Anything that results in such a disparity is unjustified.

CHRIS FOY AT TWICKENHAM: This means that all the stirring words are no longer hollow. This means they are really on to something. A victory over Ireland can be tricked by no Test team in the world. Andy Farrell's crew arrived in Twickenham to take the penultimate step toward a historic back-to-back Grand Slam, but they were sent home defeated, stunned, and reduced, at least fleetingly. The better team triumphed. Justice was served. Now they have done it, but just enough to know that the oval-ball richer scale exists. Since the Irish thumping, opening-night victory over France in Marseille, there was a suspicion of an Irish clean-sweep, but Jamie George and Co defied that script.

SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: I wrote before the game that England had no chance of winning and that the game was about being competitive against what I think is the best team in the world. For England to win, they'd have to play near the perfect game. Although England defeated Ireland, I still think they will do even better. What a fantastic spot for the team to be in. They were unfounded. Borthwick's men can and must also bring more impetus to their conduct. However, there can be no doubt that this Twickenham triumph against a team as strong as Ireland is a major step forward for everyone in English rugby. This victory would be a big lift for Borthwick fans, I'm sure.

Marcus Smith's kick towards the stars had just dropped over Twickenham, the atmosphere had started to crackle, and Marcus Smith had just kicked it at the stars. The stadium held its breath, a flash point where time stood still, and watched his drop-kick soar toward the posts. He knew it was fine, but it was so bad that it sparked a sensation that hasn't been present in this area for years. The last play of the game, the dramatic move that ended Ireland's undefeated run. Smith had been waiting for this moment. The poster boy of England is finally getting his poster boy moment. Lift off. It was England's biggest victory of the Steve Borthwick era. A show filled with venom, attacking motivation, and a belief that did not die until the game's final play. Even Borthwick, the mild-mannered one, participated in the war, exchanging words with Ireland coach Andy Farrell at halftime. The crowd loved it.

During their Six Nations match against Twickenham, England head coach Steve Borthwick exchanged tense words with Ireland counterpart Andy Farrell. After the halftime whistle went, tempers boiled over, with Ireland at the time being 12-8 ahead of the hosts. Both the two mannered bosses stepped down from their positions in the stands as they headed to their respective dressing rooms, but as they left the pitch, they came face to face each other.

After being called off for England's Six Nations match against Ireland on Saturday, England captain Jamie George has urged his team to 'defend their home.' Ireland is a strong favorite to win at Twickenham as they charge toward a Grand Slam, with coach Andy Farrell. England was defeated by Scotland in Edinburgh, but George believes his team will use their underdog status as a weapon.

As England hosts Andy Farrell's side at Twickenham this Saturday, they will be hoping to bounce back and derail Ireland's attempt to win an unbeaten 2024 Six Nations campaign. Given Ireland's recent form in this year's Six Nations, it's no surprise that the defending champions enter the race on Saturday as a landslide 2/9 favorite. Despite having home advantage, England, who won their first two games against Italy and Wales before losing to Scotland, are 7/2 outsiders to upset Ireland.

This week, there was chaos outside the England team hotel in Surrey, with cones out and work continuing. People were trapped and not making progress, looking tense and impatient. It's been a similar tale on the other side of late's gates; cones have been issued, lots of work has been going, but no one is really sure that anyone is heading in the right direction. On Saturday evening, when Ireland thrashed Twickenham on a Grand Slam crusade, the whole thing would change. Borthwick, the British Prime Minister, needs his home team to be able to relax and reclaim some energy for this difficult Six Nations assignment. During England's loss to Scotland in the last round, the head coach revealed on Thursday that his players had been "weighed down" by the England shirt. That means there had been a lot of anxiety within the team and that had led to them to break down.

I had no idea I'd say this about an England team playing at Twickenham. However, winning in the Six Nations Championships against back-to-back Grand Slam-chasing Ireland on Saturday isn't about winning. It's all about being ultra-competitive against what is arguably the best team in the country right now. It pains me to say it, but England does need a minor miracle to win this game. I have been wrestling with this all week because I have never felt this way about England before. The fact that Ireland is supposed to win says a lot about how good they are, but also much about England's fall from grace.