Twitter was a strange place to be yesterday, as literally half a million people watched some Geordies jumping over a puddle. The internet can be completely mad sometimes.
If you managed to take a moment out from #DrummondPuddleWatch, however, you might have noticed some intriguing news being announced across the Irish Sea at around four o’clock – the IRFU has appointed Andy Farrell as its new defence coach. He will take up the role after the conclusion of the 2016 Six Nations.
There was plenty of outrage from those with green-tinted glasses on social media after the announcement was made – see below for a selection of the best.
Andy Farrell??? Seriously????? Please please say this is some kind of joke……
— Carly (@_carlyj) January 6, 2016
General disbelief and incredulity among my twitter rugby family…Andy Farrell…checks date…January 6th…and it's not from WWN either!
— Michelle (@CorkSeashell) January 6, 2016
Who is the smart arse running the @IrishRugby page with a post that Andy Farrell is new Ireland defence coach hahahahaha…as if.
— Andy Martin (@andymartin_8) January 6, 2016
They all miss the point entirely. Andy Farrell is a fine, fine rugby union coach – if you define his role properly. The problem by the end of his England tenure was that nobody quite knew what he was responsible for. The backs? The defence? The attacking gameplan? All of the above?
This is why the presence of the word ‘defence’ before the word ‘coach’ in the IRFU’s official release was so poignant. Farrell built a world class reputation for his work as defence coach with England and, more importantly, the Lions in 2013.
He would have worked with several of the senior Ireland players on that tour to Australia, and Schmidt and the IRFU higher-ups will surely have consulted them before making this appointment. Expect to see huge line speed and an aggressive, but well-organised, kick chase from Ireland in the future.
So, provided the IRFU make sure they define Farrell’s role precisely (i.e. just defence duties) then it is a brilliant appointment, and they have found a worthy replacement to Les Kiss. Just don’t let him near the selection meetings.
Intriguingly, the appointment means that in April 2016, three of the four home nations will have English defence coaches – but not a single one, not even England, will have an English attack coach. Make of that what you will.
Cipriani’s time has to be now
Farrell’s appointment segues nicely into the England fly-half debate – his son, Owen, is amongst the frontrunners to take the number 10 jersey for Eddie Jones’s first game in charge. Indeed, Farrell Jr has been playing the best rugby of his life this season, seemingly untarnished by a disastrous England World Cup campaign.
What has been most impressive is his increased willingness to attack with the ball, throwing dummies and making breaks in a manner that we simply have never seen before.
As brilliant as he has undoubtedly been, however, he is not the man that Eddie Jones should look at first. Danny Cipriani has been quietly going about his business in Salford for the past three years, resisting overtures from abroad so he can finally get his shot at England. This season has been right up there with Farrell in terms of form.
He has been doing so in an unfashionable Sale side that includes a pack that does not always get its own way – something which cannot be said about Farrell and Saracens. You can tell a lot about a fly-half by the way he deals with the struggles of playing behind a pack in trouble – Cipriani, for the most part, has taken it completely in his stride on those occasions when Sale have been on the back foot.
He is not as consistent a goal-kicker as Farrell, but there is every chance the Saracens man might be named at 12 anyway, with injuries piling up in the centres and Eddie Jones’s renowned desire to have a second playmaker in that jersey. That would take the pressure off Cipriani; but even if it didn’t happen, he remains a good enough kicker to take the duties himself.
Cipriani and Lancaster never clicked. When in charge of the Saxons, Lancaster was not a fan of Cipriani and his attitude at the time. The former maverick has settled down now, and it is time he was given a chance to show what he can do in the England number 10 shirt. Not from the bench, not at fullback, but as starter. He has earned that chance.
By Jamie Hosie
Follow Jamie on Twitter: @jhosie43
Photo by: Patrick Khachfe / Onside Images
The former maverick has settled down?
If that includes arrests for drink driving, public arguments with coaches and making arrogant statements in the press then I’ll be jiggered.
I think Farrell and Rowntree both suffered from having too much to do and that probably stems from Lancaster’s lack of top level coaching experience. If you go with 4 coaches and one of them doesn’t have a speciality (as Lancaster doesn’t), then it means your other 3 coaches have quite wide portfolios.
Rowntree was a great scrummage coach (World Cup aside), and Farrell was a great defence coach. but Rowntree was in charge of the forwards as a whole and Farrell was in charge of the backs and overall strategy (Mike Catt being a bit of a luxury role of skills coach).
I feared Rowntree going to one of the other home nations to work exclusively as a scrum coach, but there was a lot of talk of Farrell going back to Saracens. Ireland have got themselves a good coach.
From one Farrell to another, I’d have Farrell in the 10 shirt and Cipriani off the bench for the opener against Scotland, but I’d possibly rotate them as the tournament goes on. So maybe have Farrell start the 2 away games first up and switch Cipriani in for the home games, then make a final call before the France game.
I’d have Ford in the squad as well, I wouldn’t consign him to the scrap heap, but his form has obviously suffered after he was messed about by the coaches in the World Cup.
I’d defo take Cips to the 6N as an impact sub, but to just drop Ford now would be pretty brutal (especially following his treatment in RWC).
As for starting Farrell at 12, has that ever really worked? I know we are a few centres down but surely there are enough waiting in the wings to bring in some new talent? When are England going to learn about picking players out of position just to suit the team sheet?
And all this journo nonsense about Sale being “unfashionable” or “not worth bothering about” etc. is just that. People probably said the same thing about Exeter a couple of years ago and now they have at least five England regulars. EJ is experienced enough not to pay any attention to dominant club politics and will pick his players from anywhere he likes. Just not anywhere in France :-D
I would start with Farrell at 10, Cips on the bench, and if all is going well bring Cips on, but shift Farrell to 12 and see how it works.
Still not sure who should get the 12 shirt at the moment without Slade. Burrell has shown some good touches in a struggling Saints team, and with Daly outside him I think the defence would be fairly solid. Definitely not 12T! I would still rather see Barritt there than 12T. Outside of them, Devoto? It doesn’t look as if Tuilagi is going to be fit (ever?).
“Definitely not 12T! I would still rather see Barritt there than 12T.”
I’m the complete opposite. Whilst he is frustratingly inconsistent, 12t was part of a key cog in SL’s best 6n (2014). We looked great in every game, even the one we lost to France, where defensive colossus Barritt was unable to prevent the match winning try and Goode made no effort to at least make the conversion difficult (which could have given us a draw).
If the plan is to have a second distributor at 12, then one of Farrell, 12t or Devoto has to be put in there while Slade recovers, and the likes of Barritt, Burrell and Manu (at 12) should be consigned to international retirement.
For me 12T is just too inconsistent. Even at club level he blows hot and cold. In one moment he can do something excellent, the next he could be missing a massive overlap and ending a try scoring opportunity. At club level it’s embarrassing, but at International level it’s not good enough. I’m not saying Barritt is any better, just that I think he does more good than bad. I think a lot of what Barritt does go unseen because it’s not as flashy as other players in his position.
Having technical issues! Please see my response to this post below the Tipster comment.
For me, the below just sums up 12Trees
So you find the one example where he does “a Barritt” ie . look for contact rather than pass to typify his play?
Strange example to use IMO, for me 12t’s issues is usually that he tries to force the pass leading to intercepts or knock ons.
So you would rather have Barritt or Burell at 12, two players who rarely pass and so precisely what you criticise 12t for above?
I use it as an example of when 12T has not used his brain. I find it the most egregious example of a long list of other times when he has not used his brain – eg. by forcing passes or off-loads.
BTW – he doesn’t look for contact here at all. He thinks he can beat the last defender with a double dummy and score himself rather than passing the ball to possibly the fastest winger in thje premiership who is in acres of space with no one in front of him and a 5m run in. At this level, there is absolutely no excuse for it.
Although I will say that I thought he played well against Quins the other week. Finally carrying the ball like a man who is 6ft 4 and 13 stone should. I’ve always previously thought he didn’t play to his size
And in answer to your question, I would not have Barritt near the side but without Slade and with all other options too inexperienced, would probably choose Burrell. He has done little wrong for England and contrary to what you’ve written above, does often pass and off-loads quite well
Actually 12T is at last coming back into some form at the moment. He has now also got over the rather disastrous handling of him by England. I think that on this seasons form he is back in the mix. Hopefully EJ is judging on current form not past reputation. Did SL some good when he came in but then he forgot that in his bid for experienced players.
I echo the sentiments in the article. This is a good fit for both Farrell and Ireland. England’s defense was generally good under Farrell and Ireland’s limited kick chase strategy chimes well with Farrell’s MO.
I agree entirely.
While Farrell was obviously a decent defence coach for Sarries and England (to a lesser degree) who had good defence under his stewardship. I don’t think either team has had any attack/defence balance.
If you compare the style of play of Saracens today to 4 years ago under Farrell it is completely different. The Sarries of today are looking much more like a complete team than the bludgeon them to death Sarries of old.
The wolf pack is no longer just a defensive tool but is now actively used to form an attacking platform.
If EJ looks at the possibility of Farrell playing at twelve then we still have exactly the same problems in the centre that we had before the World Cup, which is that none of the candidates who play there every week are really making a strong case. I just hope that whoever he goes for at least gets a fair crack of the whip. Lancaster`s problem seemed to be that he really had little idea what his best pairing was and spent eighteen months waiting for Tuilagi to get fit in the belief that he was a miracle cure. When that didn´t happen he tried to cast Burgess in the same mould p…ing off all the front runners in the process. I hope Daly gets a few games to prove he is international class. With Gustard´s influence I wouldn´t be that surprised to see Barritt in the side. Agree with Dazza about 12T. When he first came on the scene I thought he might be the business, but he is too inconsistent. Cips at 10, Farrell on the bench and Goode at full back whenever it´s dry because he is more creative than Brown.
“With Gustard´s influence I wouldn´t be that surprised to see Barritt”
But EJ is head coach and in charge of the attack. I would be staggered and majorly disappointed if Barritt is picked as it would repeat SL’s biggest crime, not picking and sticking to a defined strategy. These days there are 2 main choices at 12; a second distributor (Slade, Farrell, Devoto, Eastmond, maybe even Goode at a pinch) or a hard line breaking runner (Burrell, Manu, Burgess). Where exactly does Barritt fit? He is neither, which is why England’s best 6n under SL were campaigns that Barritt played no part in (2014 & 2015).
In the early days Goode was picked at FB purely to fulfill the second distributor role that Barritt couldn’t provide, and Manu the bosh. Like the Parling & wood selection to mitigate Youngs’s deficiencies in the World cup, it is robbing Peter to pay Paul.
In defence of 12t, his worst performances IMO was when he was paired with Tomkins and Barritt, predominantly because the opposition would look at his centre partner, correctly judge that they posed no attacking threat and line up 12t for the double hit. This was especially obvious in the 2014 Australia match, when Barritt was deified by the press, seemingly for tackling a player with his face!
Saracens have proved that the attack can work with Farrell at 10 and Barritt at 12. It depends on the type of players you play around Barritt. Daly or Slade (when fit) are a perfect fit to play outside Barritt. They would provide the extra playmaker option as both are very good kickers and handlers of the ball (more so than JJ).
I would also think about Pennell at full back. I think he provides the best qualities of both Brown and Goode.
“Saracens have proved that the attack can work with Farrell at 10 and Barritt at 12.”
Yes but with Goode providing the 2nd playmaker role. I’m also not sure how successful the Sarries kick and press strategy would work at international level. Certainly Ireland have had mixed results.
Whilst Sarries have had a phenomenal start to the season let’s not get too carried away just yet. Saints similarly started last season on fire and we’re the top team at Christmas only to end up with nothing. Can Sarries keep up this level of intensity all season? I’m not so sure.
Of course it helps to be playing behind Sarries pack – I’m not sure England can count on any similar dominance.
I like Pennell too – he plays intelligently
Unfortunately, test match defences are far far better than those in the Premiership. It’s just not possible to compare the two.
I’m not sure what Barritt brings to the table as a player in attack? As Benjit points out, he is neither a distributer or a strong ball carrier.
Also – other than that daft was weekend of the 2015 6 nations, over SL’s tenure, did we concede bundles more tries without Barritt than with him? It definitely never seemed that way.
I don´t disagree with you Benjit. Barritt is a whole hearted and competent player at top club level but lacks the vision, pace and subtlety to be a good international. I wouldn´t pick him. However, with Slade and Tuilagi unfit and nobody apart from Daly really stating a case in the centre I think that there is an outside possibility that EJ will settle for solidity rather than creativity with one of his centres, particularly if he decides to give Cipriani and Goode a run out. I have a feeling that Barritt is rated higher by coaches than by spectators and wouldn´t be surprised to see him get another chance to prove that he is still not quite up to it.
Personally i think lancaster would have been worse, i just dont like him, but farrell needs to cime in with plan and authority to make this work, otherwise players may not be happy either.
Dazza I couldn’t care less about club form provided he does the goods for England, which he certainly did in 2014, the only time he got a consistent run. Barritt was beyond cr@p in the World cup but somehow escaped criticism with all the Burgess brouhaha. He has also been part of the most dire England performances of recent years, which as you point out seems to go unseen!
If the Irish want to take a chance with Farrell that’s their affair.I am not convinced his personality and dourness will suit them and he is too much of a league man to coach union.
Have to admit son has improved his game but as others say this is behind a dominant pack plus his petulance demonstrates a lack of coolness under pressure
I’d go with the more attackng fly-half every time. Start Cips and Farrell makes useful back up from the bench (and the comments about not using him as a utility centre are spot on)
The logic goes that if Cips misses a kick at goal he should at least assist with the scoring of five more by creating a try. SL’s reign suffered from conservatism and inconsistency of player selection. No Wade, little of Cipriani and then at the wrong stage of a game or for too little e.g. Should have been Uruguay as a starter to be replaced by Ford not vice versa, no Slade in the 6N last year, no fetcher to compete with Robshaw because he was irreplaceable -yeah right – and no game time for Itoje.
Having watched the clip you have to say that 12t does hlmself absolutely no favours here. We need England players to do what the AB’s do so well: read the play and make the right decision,not just once but 99.9 times out of one hundred.
Although he is a hugely talented player billy gets caught In about six minds far too often. EJ won’t suffer fools or ditherers. Much as I hate to say it, I think the pairing for the Scotland game will be Barritt and Daly. Daly on merit and Barritt because even a coach as good as Jones can’t pick a player that doesn’t exist!
Personally think it’s a great choice from Ireland. He did always have the job title of defence coach at England didn’t he? That being said, I can imagine Schmidt being as weak as SL and letting Farrell take over. Runs a defence very well, and fits in well the the Ireland kick and chase game plan.
On the England 10 shirt. I would give it to Cips in the 6 nations, and I’d have Farrell at 12. If Slade was fit then I’d play him at 12 and Farrell shifts to 10. With Daly outside those two, and many great back three options England will have a seriously dangerous back line.
As an interim measure Farrell at 12 (if we are going down the 2nd playmaker route) makes sense. If memory serves it was Daly who played at 13 alongside Farrell at 12 in the almost successful u20 side that got to the final. Cips in place of the iffy Ford atm, until George can find some form.
Well I suppose son of Farewell has a future as the new No10 for Ireland now then.
Or will Daddy Farewell be telling the Irish side how to unpick Farewell junior as an international player whereas Daddy told his previous employers that they had to pick his boy for the team.
England and the RWC 2015……. the gift that just keeps giving.
Are you ok?
Imagine 10: Cipriani, 12: Slade, 13: Nowell.
How good would that be? Genuine talent.
I find some of the debate about England’s back line baffling. 12T… Barritt…?!