IRFU PERFORMANCE DIRECTOR David Nucifora has hailed Andy Farrell’s new four-year contract as “great news for Irish Rugby” and stated the union would be “ecstatic” if the Ireland head coach were to lead the British and Irish Lions on their 2025 tour to Australia.

This morning the IRFU confirmed Farrell has signed a new contract that will see him continue as Ireland head coach until the end of the 2027 World Cup.

The news was confirmed shortly before David Nucifora held his annual briefing at the IRFU’s high performance centre in Abbotstown.

“It’s great news for Irish rugby, the fact that Andy Farrell has signed an extension through to the end of the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia,” Nucifora said.

“Obviously Andy has proven himself to be a world class coach and has done an outstanding job after he took over after the 2019 World Cup.

“I think for Irish rugby, the continuity that he’ll bring over the next four years gives a stability and certainty to build on the established platforms that are already there, so we’re really fortunate and excited that it’s going to continue on. It’s great news all round.”

Nucifora added that Farrell’s new contract was a relatively smooth process for the union.

“Andy’s loved his time here. Obviously he’s a very sought after coach on the world scene. He’s loved his time, he’s loved working here, a great working environment that we have, the people we’ve got in that, so it was a reasonably smooth process to extend the contract.

“I think Andy is an outstanding coach. His man management skills are second to none. His ability to get the best out of staff and players, the way he brings the group together, gets people on the same page but with the ability to constantly challenge people to improve and better themselves.

“I think that skill set, he’s obviously got the rugby intellect but he also has the softer skills you need to be able to get the best out of people. That’s not easy to find someone who has that all-round set of skills that you need at this level of the game. So we’re very fortunate to have him.”

The Australian was asked if Farrell’s new contract includes the option of taking time out of his duties with Ireland in order to lead the Lions in 2025. Farrell previously toured with the Lions as defence coach in 2013 and 2017.

Yeah, we’d be ecstatic if Andy was named coach of the Lions so hopefully that accolade is the next one for him and we’d be more than comfortable with how to deal with it.

“As far as the period of time he might be away from us, that’s still something I think can be discussed if this happens.”

Nucifora also confirmed that Ireland attack coach Mike Catt will step down from his role at the end of the season. Catt will complete the Six Nations and summer Tests against South Africa. The IRFU are close to reaching an agreement with Catt’s replacement and hope to make an announcement in the coming weeks.

“We’ve evolved the way that we play so even though it’s disappointing to see Mike leave, the decisions we make will be for someone who has the ability to help us evolve our game further. Not just in attack but in all facets because the professional game moves at such a pace these days and if you want to stay up or near the top you’ve got to stay ahead of the game with how you approach it.

“We’ve got a coaching staff that are well able to do that.”

IRFU Performance Director David Nucifora. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO

In a lengthy briefing, the Australian – who will finish up with the IRFU next summer – also discussed Ireland’s World Cup campaign. The IRFU’s review of the tournament is currently nearing completion.

“It’s not going to be an earth-shattering document that will give the answer as to why we didn’t beat New Zealand in the quarter-final, I don’t think there’s anything there that systematically will tell us why we didn’t win that game,” Nucifora said.

“We’re all massively disappointed that it ended the way it did. Right up to the point, deep into those 30-plus phases, I was still really confident we were going to get over the line and win that game, but it didn’t pan out that way.

“I think that the team that went away was the best-prepared that we’ve had, there was nothing left to chance, they were really well-supported, it was an unbelievably positive environment that they prepared in and performed in, and the support they got from the Irish public was outstanding.

“That’s going to be one of the lasting memories, the Irish support that came not just Paris but other parts of the country. I think that goes some way to stating the shape Irish rugby is in at the moment.

“There’s going to be small things that come out of the report that give us an indicator about what we can be working in going forward, but largely our reviews can often show us that we’re actually on the right track.”