New coach is in confident, unfazed mood as he prepares for his first Six Nations match, naming his side four days in advance
Some people have big roles thrust upon them and take time to adjust. It is different with born leaders: if anything it is more a matter of waiting for everyone else to catch up. Andy Farrell may still be preparing for his first Six Nations game as a head coach but, even in the unfamiliar temporary surroundings of the Algarve, he looks entirely at home.
When you have played international rugby league at 18 and captained Great
Britain at 21, a roomful of reporters politely querying Ireland’s team selection to face
Scotland is hardly a big deal. All those years as a No 2 under Stuart Lancaster, Warren Gatland (with the Lions) and Joe Schmidt have also helped ready him for the boss’s chair. “It feels normal,” he shrugged on Tuesday. “I don’t feel like I am doing anything but being myself.” If
Ireland fail to deliver in the coming weeks, it will not be because Schmidt’s successor is wracked with nerves.