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Farrell wary of over-loading Test schedule around November

There are many unknowable variables as Covid-19 spreads, but Farrell hopes that player welfare concerns are maintained and Ireland avoid playing five Tests in five weeks.

LAST UPDATE | 10 Mar 2020

STRANGE TIMES INDEED and Andy Farrell helped to illustrate the oddity.

Sitting down for a press conference he was not scheduled to give, it was initially he who was asking questions as the IRFU press officer gave updates of what games were off the board, and which were left standing. For now.

All anyone knew for sure was that sense had prevailed and the Six Nations match in Paris was postponed a day after French authorities barred gatherings of more than 1,000 people.

Farrell’s players had trained in Abbottstown yesterday morning working under the assumption that they had a match to prepare for and a Championship to chase.

By this evening, however, the squad will disperse again. Back to provincial duty – however much of it Covid-19 will allow – and out of the Test headspace for another few months.

Even the summer tour in Australia can’t be looked forward to as a cast-iron run of fixtures. There are more important healthcare issues on both sides of the globe to consider before July.

Farrell was willing to look further ahead, to October, inviting and welcoming the prospect of rescheduling postponed Six Nations matches for Halloween before Ireland’s November Tests.

However, the head coach is not keen on slotting both of Ireland’s remaining fixtures directly around the November window. The compound interest of fatigue is relatively easy to predict and would prove to be too taxing if five Tests are to be rattled off in a row.

“That would be five games over the autumn. I don’t know whether that’s going to happen. Four is difficult enough, four on the bounce is difficult enough,” said Farrell.

“Teams always try to schedule their November for a Tier Two (team between Tier one fixtures) or whatever which gives a developmental flavour to the November calendar.

We don’t know what’s going to happen. We presume that certainly one game will be played around that period but we haven’t had anything confirmed.”

The head coach notes that he wouldn’t flatly turn down the prospect of playing on five consecutive weekends, but with World Cup 2023 seeding to be decided by ranking after November, somebody else in the IRFU might be tasked with crying foul over a hectic schedule.

Personally for the new head coach, back-to-back postponements must be deeply disappointing. Particularly for one who suffered his first loss in the hot-seat to a team led by his own son. He and his players will have to wait before getting a chance to right wrongs from Twickenham, but the head coach is philosophical as he deals with the unknowable.

“It is what it is, as a head coach you have to deal with everything that goes your way and this is unprecedented, really, but it’s part of the job.

Yeah, you’ve got to expect the unexpected and just get on with it.”

Questions on the status of other games, scheduling of the postponed matches and how the calendar will all pan out in the medium to long-term led Farrell to one overriding theme.

“I suppose we’re all guessing at this moment in time.”

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    Mute Sean Fahey
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    Apr 9th 2020, 9:30 AM

    A fantastic game but can’t help but feel the better team on the night lost.

    With hindsight you’d almost wish Clermont got the result as we didn’t go on to lift the trophy and they were probably the best team in Europe at the time.

    Most sets of opposing fans are great, but there’s something particularly special about Clermont, the reception for Leinster fans by Clermont in Bordeaux in 2012 is something I’ll never forget, the traveling Leinster support did a parade style walk to the stadium and thousands of Clermont fans responded by making a guard of honor on the street that narrowed to single file as Leinster fans entered the stadium, a mini replica was then attempted for Clermont fans entering Lansdowne for the 2013 final. To this day there’s a great bond between both sets of fans.

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    Mute Paddy Waggon
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    Apr 9th 2020, 6:00 PM

    @Sean Fahey: look at u reminiscing.
    Your so full of sh##.
    Were calling us all ejits yesterday, when the Munster article was out.
    Must be board in the holiday home of yours .

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    Mute Kevin
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    Apr 9th 2020, 9:16 AM

    Excellent. Another Leinster article to fry the brains of the Munster fellas!:)

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    Mute SomeGuy
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    Apr 9th 2020, 10:11 AM

    @Kevin: It is a bit annoying to always see Leinster focused articles but understandable as they are the dominant force and an insight into their journey to being one of the current world leading teams is relevant. Also, the population of Leinster and sheer number of rugby supporters means more clicks and a viable business for the 42. It would be interesting to chart Ulster’s ‘99 season though. In fairness, Munster got an ‘06 article yesterday but poor Ulster get little credit for being the first Irish champions of Europe (albeit without the English).

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    Mute Hirrison Mirk
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    Apr 9th 2020, 10:39 AM

    @SomeGuy: they did beat a fair few French monsters on that run to the title though. Hardly an easy route.

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    Mute Oval Digest
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    Apr 9th 2020, 2:01 PM

    Brilliant game this. It was one of the Leinster v Clermont games that I felt Clermont were clearly the better side but we dug out a win.

    I was sitting right in front of the Sexton jaw break incident and it was a very dirty stroke from Parra. Cost Sexton a semi final and potentially cost Leinster hugely having to play Shaun Berne in Toulouse iirc.

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    Mute Nag Damnit
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    Apr 9th 2020, 11:09 AM

    I was there. Awesome atmosphere made so be the amazing travelling support and our own fans response. James struggled. If they had another 10 they would have won it.

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    Mute Kevin
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    Apr 9th 2020, 9:16 AM

    Excellent. Another Leinster article to fry the brains of the whinging Munster fellas!:)

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    Mute thesaltyurchin
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    Apr 9th 2020, 9:58 AM

    @Kevin: Which is it Kevin. Make your mind up.

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    Mute Kevin
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    Apr 9th 2020, 10:00 AM

    @thesaltyurchin: I’ll stick with whinging.

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    Mute Decko49
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    Apr 9th 2020, 11:55 AM

    @Kevin: And another Leinster Ladyboy talking about Munster on a Leinster article. What do you expect from a pig but a grunt I guess

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