Andy Farrell will not be England’s next head coach after the 2023 Rugby World Cup, as Ireland’s head coach has signed a new two-year contract extension with the Irish Rugby Union.
Farrell’s stock has skyrocketed this year after a second-place finish in the Six Nations and a first-ever series win for a Northern Hemisphere in New Zealand, with Ireland beating the All Blacks outright in the third Test earlier this month.
Farrell, 47, initially joined the Irish coaching setup as a defensive coach working under Joe Schmidt after the England coaching staff was sacked following the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
The former dual-code international has since rebuilt his career in Ireland with the national team now one of the favorites for next year’s Rugby World Cup and is currently number 1 in the world.
Kevin Potts, the chief executive of the Irish Rugby Football Union, revealed during the announcement of Farrell’s extension – which will run until August 2025 – that there is also an option to extend the contract further, “on the basis of a number of mutually agreed performance markers”.
“On behalf of all the Union representatives and Irish Rugby fans around the world, I would like to thank Andy for the exceptional impact he has had on Ireland’s performance to date as we look forward to the year ahead which will of course be the Rugby World include. Cup in France.”
Commenting on the new deal, Farrell said: “I am delighted to extend my contract with Irish Rugby for a further two years. As a group, we have made it clear that we are building the 2023 Rugby World Cup and we have made significant strides in that regard over the past few months.
“Ahead of the tour to New Zealand, myself and David [Nucifora] looked at the opportunities and challenges for the national team after the tournament in France. I am excited to continue working with the group and with the next generation of Irish international players.”
Nucifora, the IRFU’s performance director, added that the extension was agreed before the tour to New Zealand. “There will always be a lot of demand for a coach of Andy’s caliber,” Nucifora noted.
‘RFU: Farrell is highly regarded’
With Farrell gone, barring an impossibly expensive payout from Farrell’s IRFU contract, the Rugby Football Union’s attention will now turn elsewhere in the search for the nomination of Eddie Jones’ successor after 2023. Chief executive Bill Sweeney had said two weeks ago that Farrell is “very highly regarded” for news of his Irish contract extension.
“He’s fine, isn’t he?” Sweeney added.
“A few years ago he was not doing well and there was a lot of pressure around him.
“He is highly regarded, but we also have tremendous respect for the Irish Rugby Football Union. He’s under contract until ’23 and whatever happens after ’23 will happen after ’23.”
Gallagher Premiership candidates are likely to include Steve Borthwick of Leicester Tigers, a former assistant to Jones, Rob Baxter of Exeter and Mark McCall of Saracens.
Borthwick’s success at Leicester Tigers since he arrived in 2020, and won the Premiership title this summer in his first role as head coach, has bolstered his case to take over Jones next year.