Ever since Murray Kidd was abruptly faraway from workplace and changed by Brian Ashton, who got here and went simply 13 months into his six-year deal within the early throes of professionalism, longevity of service is one thing you affiliate with Eire head coaches, regardless of collective Rugby World Cups failures.
Clearly, Warren Gatland is better-known for his exploits with Wales, a relationship that has spanned 13 years throughout two spells. However even the Kiwi lasted 34 Exams accountable for Eire, between 1998-2001. All of people who adopted him into the job have presided over greater than 50 Exams and on Saturday in Durban, Andy Farrell will be part of the half-centurion’s membership.
Eddie O’Sullivan was appointed as Gatland’s successor in 2001 and lasted seven years within the job, taking cost for a report 78 Exams, earlier than resigning after a poor Six Nations marketing campaign in 2008. Declan Kidney got here in and led Eire to an elusive Grand Slam in 2009. However his general report wasn’t spectacular and after a five-year reign that noticed him solely win a fraction over half of his 53 Exams, the IRFU wielded the axe.
Having slipped to their lowest-ever world rating of ninth, Eire appointed Joe Schmidt hoping that the Kiwi would have the ability to translate the success he’d loved with Leinster to the worldwide stage. As everyone knows, it turned out to be an impressed determination.
Schmidt led Eire to Six Nations titles in 2014, 2015 and 2018, and masterminded two historic victories over New Zealand, along with guiding Eire to second within the rankings. The Kiwi left in 2019 with a powerful profitable report of 72%. Farrell has not solely bettered that but in addition took Eire to primary on the planet in 2022-23.
Farrell’s apprenticeship beneath present Wallabies boss Schmidt clearly stood him in good stead, though the journey to 50 Exams didn’t get off to the smoothest of begins. Slender victories over Scotland and Wales within the first two rounds of the 2020 Six Nations seemed to be one thing of a false daybreak as Eire solely gained half of their subsequent 10 matches. However within the 37 Exams which have adopted, Eire have solely misplaced 5 extra occasions on his watch.
Total, Farrell has gained 39 of his 49 matches accountable for Eire, giving him a win proportion of 79.5%. That makes him essentially the most profitable everlasting head coach of Eire within the skilled period, and that’s with out mentioning back-to-back Six Nations titles and an unprecedented 2-1 collection win over the All Blacks in New Zealand. Subsequent summer time he’ll take the British & Irish Lions Down Underneath to Australia.
Underneath Farrell, the Aviva Stadium has just about been impregnable, the Dublin venue having hosted only one defeat – the 13-15 loss to France in 2021 – since his tenure began for actual with the go to of Scotland in February 2020.
Eire have gained their final 19 dwelling matches, with solely South Africa in November 2022 managing to complete inside seven factors of them throughout that spell. It’s their longest profitable run at dwelling, eclipsing the 12-game streak between 2016-18, which ended when England beat them in spherical one of many 2019 Six Nations in the course of the latter phases of Schmidt’s reign.
One other standout statistic is that Eire have solely misplaced back-to-back as soon as in Farrell’s time on the helm, after they suffered consecutive defeats to Wales and France at the beginning of the 2021 Six Nations.
When it comes to resolve, this Eire staff is a mirror picture of Farrell the participant, the previous Rugby League Man of Metal wouldn’t tolerate something much less, so that they’ll be determined to bounce again from final week’s 27-20 loss to the Springboks in Saturday’s rematch in Durban.
Eire’s year-by-year Check report beneath Farrell
2020
W 19-12 v Scotland (H)
W 24-14 v Wales (H)
L 12-24 v England (A)
W 50-17 v Italy (H)
L 27-35 v France (A)
W 32-9 v Wales (H)
L 7-18 v England (A)
W 23-10 v Georgia (H)
W 31-16 v Scotland (H)
2021
L 16-21 v Wales (A)
L 13-15 v France (H)
W 48-10 v Italy (H)
W 27-24 v Scotland (A)
W 32-18 v England (H)
W 39-31 v Japan (H)
W 71-10 v USA (H)
W 60-5 v Japan (H)
W 29-20 v New Zealand (H)
W 53-7 v Argentina (H)
2022
W 29-7 v Wales (H)
L 24-30 v France (A)
W 57-6 v Italy (H)
W 32-15 v England (A)
W 26-5 v Scotland (H)
L 19-42 v New Zealand (A)
W 23-12 v New Zealand (A)
W 32-22 v New Zealand (A)
W 19-16 v South Africa (H)
W 35-17 v Fiji (H)
W 13-10 v Australia (H)
2023
W 34-10 v Wales (A)
W 32-19 v France (H)
W 34-20 v Italy (A)
W 22-7 v Scotland (A)
W 29-16 v England (A)
W 33-17 v Italy (H)
W 29-10 v England (H)
W 17-13 v Samoa (N)
W 82-8 v Romania (N)
W 59-16 v Tonga (N)
W 13-8 v South Africa (N)
W 36-14 v Scotland (N)
L 24-28 v New Zealand (N)
2024
W 38-17 v France (A)
W 36-0 v Italy (H)
W 31-7 v Wales (H)
L 22-23 v England (A)
W 17-13 v Scotland (H)
L 20-27 v South Africa (A)
Total
P 49, W39, D0, L10
Dwelling
P 26, W25, D0, L1
Away
P 17, W9, D0, L8
Impartial
P 6, W5, D0, L1
