Last year’s Six Nations was supposed to be a fresh start for many of the countries involved. Four of the six nations welcomed new coaching staff, France, Wales, Ireland and Italy included, yet it was England and the experienced head of Eddie Jones who won the Six Nations crown.
However, like with most sports, it was a difficult year for rugby. The coronavirus pandemic striking in the middle of the 2020 Six Nations campaign made it difficult for the new coaches to settle, and the tournament wasn’t drawn to a conclusion until October, some seven months behind schedule.
As already mentioned, Ireland were one of those hoping to adapt quickly to life under a new head coach. The largely successful Joe Schmidt had led the boys in green to Six Nations glory on three occasions throughout his six-year stint at the Aviva Stadium. However, after a crushing 46-14 defeat to New Zealand in the quarter-finals of the 2019 Rugby World Cup, the Kiwi called time on his role at Ireland.
Up stepped Andy Farrell, a man who had worked as a coach under Jones in the England set-up before switching alliances and becoming part of the Schmidt’s Ireland staff.
A new era for Irish rugby was on the horizon, and the man in charge was more than familiar with the players at his disposal, given his three years of experience under Schmidt alongside a short stint as an advisor for Irish club Munster.
Yet, throughout his first 12 months as head coach of Ireland, there was little significant changes to note. For the second year running, the Irish registered a third-place finish in the final Six Nations table, so it seemed they were no worse or better off with Farrell at the helm.
Not a bad thing, considering Wayne Pivac’s first Six Nations as Wales coach was nothing short of a disaster. Warren Gatland’s Welsh side had won the 2019 Grand Slam, yet just one year later, so much had changed. Pivac’s side picked up just a sole victory over Italy, and finished second last in the final standings, their worst finish since 2017.
There was no major progression for Ireland at the inaugural Autumn Nations Cup either. Victories over Wales and Georgia were expected, and defeat to England at Twickenham has become the norm. A third/fourth play-off against Scotland ended with a 31-16 win for Ireland and it was once again a third-place finish Farrell.
As the 2021 edition of the Six Nations approaches, Ireland fans will be hoping that this is the year that they get to see some progression under their new head coach. He will of course be given the benefit of the doubt for last year’s results given the stop-start nature of the season.
Ireland are the third favourites to win the upcoming Six Nations with sites like Betdaq, but is there reason to believe that Farrell’s side could do better than a third successive third-place finish?
The lineout was a major issue for the Irish throughout the course of last year. Ireland’s forwards failed on numerous occasions to get a grasp on throw-ins. At one point, Ireland fans even watched on through their fingers as England’s Jonny May capitalised on an over-thrown lineout by scoring a great solo try. So, that is something that needs to be up to scratch this time around.
The return of Leinster’s Tadhg Furlong, who is back in the squad after a lengthy injury which resulted in him missing last year’s tournament, will undoubtedly make Ireland more confident in lineouts and scrums, whilst it will be exciting to see how the likes of number 8 Caelan Dorris, winger Hugo Keenan and versatile back James Lowe get on this year after all breaking into the squad last year.
Of course, hosting France and England at the Aviva, albeit without fans, should still give Ireland an advantage over their two biggest rivals. In fact, the round five fixture over Jones’ side could be the deciding fixture of the tournament, with the winner potentially getting their hands on the Six Nations trophy.
There is certainly reason to believe that Ireland could show improvements under Farrell this year. The round two tie against France should be a good indication on what Ireland can achieve in the Six Nations. Should Farrell’s men defeat Fabien Galthié’s side in Dublin, then you would expect it to go down to the wire against England on the final game week.
One thing’s for sure, Ireland fans will want to start seeing the side making strides in the right direction at the tournament, and a side-step and further third-place finish won’t cut it for the loyal fanbase.