When Andy Farrell addressed the media ahead of Ireland’s mouth-watering Six Nations opener against France in Marseille, he carefully swerved chat about “resets” and “fresh starts”.
For a lot of onlookers, this Six Nations was a new era for Ireland. Johnny Sexton, Farrell’s on-field lieutenant, had stepped away after a World Cup quarter-final loss to New Zealand that felt like the bitter end of a four-year journey.
Farrell didn’t see it that way. He viewed this Six Nations not as the start of a new cycle that will end at the next World Cup in Australia in 2027, but as another opportunity for his team to grow and learn more about themselves.
And in that regard, Farrell views Ireland’s successful Six Nations defence as an important checkpoint in this team’s story.
In Marseille, Ireland again showcased their appetite for statement wins away from home. Their home wins over Italy and Wales provided further evidence of their ability to deliver even when they are some way off their best.
For Farrell, an agonising defeat by England, having arrived at Twickenham as 12-point favourites, was an important lesson. It humbled Ireland and sharpened the focus enough for them to wear down Scotland in a tense finale and extend their stay at the Six Nations summit.
Ireland will not be afforded a shot at World Cup redemption any time soon. What they do have on the horizon, however, is a two-Test series against double world champions South Africa in July.
This Irish team already have a series triumph in New Zealand under their belt. Adding South Africa to their southern hemisphere scalps is a tantalising prospect.
It is also a task for which Farrell feels his side are better equipped after channelling their Twickenham pain to secure another piece of silverware.
“To be consistently at your best is probably impossible, but that is what we’re going after, like I keep on saying,” explains Farrell, who emulated his predecessor Joe Schmidt’s achievement of leading Ireland to consecutive championships.
“When class players drop out of the squad, it’s always going to take time to build back up. When you can do that, winning or learning from the experience, like at Twickenham, then that’s all well and good.
“But there’s plenty more in us and there has to be with what’s coming up for the rest of the year.”
‘We’ve been hard on him’ – Farrell on Crowley
Ireland’s response to yet more World Cup heartache was the biggest point of intrigue heading into the Six Nations, but in terms of individuals, Jack Crowley faced more pressure than anyone.
Thrust into the fly-half role following Sexton’s retirement, Crowley was tasked with becoming the new talisman in the Irish attack.
He had played just three minutes in Ireland’s Grand Slam campaign last year, and while he starred in Munster’s United Rugby Championship win last year, this tournament had the potential to make or break his Test career.
In the end, Crowley played every minute of Ireland’s campaign. He impressed under the lights in Marseille, and while he struggled against a ravenous England side at Twickenham, his performances overall suggest that the number 10 jersey does not weight too heavily on the 24-year-old’s back.
“You know what, I’ve been hard on him. We have,” Farrell revealed.
“It’s easy to read the press with you guys and get carried away. But we’ve kept his feet on the ground. And Joe McCarthy as well because there has to be a realisation that that is not it.
“That’s not what we’re chasing, we’re chasing something better than that and as long as we can continue to do that, we’ll continue to grow as a group.”
While Crowley has attracted much attention in recent weeks, second row Joe McCarthy stole the headlines against France with a hugely impressive performance while Calvin Nash has ably deputised for the injured Mack Hansen on the right wing.
Their roles in Ireland’s latest success intensifies the competition for places in Farrell’s squad ahead of their summer series in South Africa.
For now, Farrell and his players will revel in their Six Nations win, but the work for the rest of 2024 starts soon.
The Tests in Durban and Pretoria will be the main focus when the squad reconvenes following the end of the club season, but there is considerable intrigue too for an autumn programme headlined by a rematch with the All Blacks in Dublin and a Test against Australia which will see Farrell face Schmidt before leading the British and Irish Lions against the Wallabies next year.
“It just doesn’t get any more difficult, does it?” was Farrell’s response when asked about South Africa.
“Or anymore exciting. All you want is the opportunity to put yourself out there against the best and South Africa are 100% the best.
“Being able to go out there and test ourselves over there, we’ve managed to win one game over there before, but to be able to play two games against them will be great for our development going forward.”
