Irish pack reaching new heights on O’Connell’s watch
Forwards coach really knows what it takes to take on the best teams
ANDY FARRELL cut a relaxed figure in the post-match press conference after a bruising win against the Springboks. Farrell is an avid Manchester City supporter. He’s a big fan of the city’s music as well, including the Stone Roses and Oasis. Before the cameras started rolling and the microphones were switched on, the Ireland head coach took a moment to shoot the breeze with one of the journalists in attendance about another hard-fought result, across the water at Etihad Stadium.
‘Have you seen the score? 2-1, 95thminute,’ Farrell exclaimed to the press gantry.
‘And it was a dreadful red card by the way, it was never a red card,’ the reporter responded, citing City star Joao Cancelo’s dismissal in the 26th minute. ‘Was it now?’ Farrell beamed. It took an injury-time winner for Erling Haaland to earn City yet another win, against Fulham, and send the defending champions to the top of the Premier League standings. It was a scrappy result. Pep Guardiola’s side found a way to win when a lot of things weren’t going their way.
It’s the sign of a good team. The parallels between Farrell’s favourite soccer club and Ireland are obvious.
Farrell looked so comfortable in his surroundings on Saturday night. It was a stark contrast to the haunted figure at the same press conference in the throes of Aviva Stadium around this time two years ago.
Farrell was feeling the pressure then. The world was being ravaged by the pandemic.
The national team were playing in front of empty stadia and the soulless arenas merely compounded the abject fare Ireland that were serving up at the time.
The squad was very much in transition and, after they had been bullied by England yet again in Twickenham, an experimental team struggled past Georgia, securing an unconvincing 23-10 win. Finlay Bealham had been pitched in at loosehead prop and had a torrid time. The set-piece had struggled – a familiar failing for much of the season.
Farrell knew he had to change things. His backroom team was looking a bit light, with Simon Easterby double-jobbing as defence and forwards coach. He decided to pick up the phone and gave Paul O’Connell a call.
In January 2021, the IRFU announced that the former Munster, Ireland and Lions lock would be joining Farrell’s coaching team. And O’Connell’s impact was immediate, with notable improvements in Ireland’s lineout as well as their breakdown work.
An icon in his playing days, O’Connell was always going to have a positive impact on the team environment. It’s the technical aspect of his approach that has garnered the most praise from players, however. The Limerick native’s exhaustive work ethic with video analysis and his preparation became the stuff of legend during his playing days.
He was made for coaching, really, even though he seemed to have moved away from that life after stints with the Munster Academy, Ireland U20s and Stade Francais following his retirement in 2015.
His impact on the likes of James Ryan and Tadhg Beirne has been telling. Ireland’s lineout has become a well-oiled machine. Ireland’s driving maul has become a potent weapon. The hunger and organisation of this forward pack in defence has been something to behold as well.
The world champions, heavyweights when it comes to the tight exchanges, would prove the ultimate test. O’Connell had his unit drilled and psychologically primed. It was obvious from the opening minutes of this battle royal in Ballsbridge.
The visitors set out their stall with their opening attack. Damian Willemse kicked a penalty into the corner. No guessing what the Boks had planned next. Eben Etzebeth rose high to claim Malcolm Marx’s throw as the giant South African pack looked to maul their way over the Irish line.
O’Connell would have laid down the law in training in Abbotstown in recent weeks. Ireland knew what was coming. There would have been hours of toil on the training pitch at the high performance centre, preparing for this.
Not only did they repel one of their opponents’ key weapons, they duly defended a further dozen phases, giving up little ground as Pieter-Steph du Toit, Etzebeth and their fellow forwards charged around the corner of ever ruck. On every occasion, they were greeted by a wall of forwards clad in Irish jerseys. There were plenty of other flashpoints throughout this relentlessly physical encounter. O’Connell knows what it takes to beat the Boks. He was on the pitch in Pretoria during the epic Lions Test in 2009. Has there been a more brutal international match than that encounter in Loftus Versfeld? Saturday’s clash in Dublin came close.
There is nothing subtle about the Springbok approach. They want to grind teams down. Either you front up or face the inevitable demise. O’Connell set out his stall when he faced the media the day before the game.
‘We take on teams that like mauling a lot, we probably don’t take on teams that like mauling as much as South Africa. So, for us to be able to have a plan and see how it works will be brilliant,’ the Ireland forwards coach said.
Naturally, Farrell was asked about O’Connell’s contribution as well as scrum guru John Fogarty in the Aviva Stadium auditorium.
‘If I mention two then I’m doing (attack coach) Mike Catt and … our defence (under Simon Easterby) was unbelievable today.
‘We stood up time and time again. They kept coming around the corner and we were able to slow the ball down well enough to get ready for whatever was going to come our way. So I thought our defence was immense.
‘And I suppose that’s an even bigger pat on the back for the forwards in the sense, what you said that, about the set piece. Our maul defence was unbelievable.’
Things are running very smoothly for Farrell these days, especially the forwards.
O’Connell has been a shrewd acquisition indeed.
“O’Connell’s preparation as a player was legendary”