Ireland coach Andy Farrell says he is looking forward to seeing the team evolve after a full World Cup experience.
Last year’s Six Nations champions were eliminated in the quarter-finals in France, once again missing out on a place in the last four.
Ireland defeated current champions and eventual 2023 champions South Africa in the pool stage, but lost to New Zealand 28-24. They began their campaign against France at Marseilles on February 2nd.
While many players have spoken of post-World Cup depression, Farrell was keen to look ahead to Ireland’s next season and move forward without captain Johnny Sexton for the first time in 15 years.
“It’s over,” the 48-year-old (below) told RTÉ Sport at the tournament launch in Dublin.
“I don’t agree with that [talk] Neither: it’s bittersweet and not all the emotions that happened within the World Cup.
“I was incredibly proud of the way we connected and worked with our fans.
“For me, it’s a continuation of how I get back to the horse, and I’m not saying it will lead to another big result.” [win] I didn’t say that in Marseille.
“We are proud of the way we do business and say we want to continue to evolve the game.
“The journey continues.
“If you look at what we got, the first game in Marseille, an incredible stadium, an incredible atmosphere.”
“I heard that a lot of the Irish people who were going to be on the plane for the semi-finals have moved to Marseille, so they are expecting a performance from us.
“We have to endure such a responsibility. Again, it does not guarantee that we will be successful.
“We have to show a fight and then the rest of the Six Nations are in front of us.
“If you look at what we’ve done since then, the trip to South Africa and the two games against South Africa, we couldn’t have been better as an Ireland manager, as an Ireland player or as an Ireland fan.”
Ireland will begin preparations this week before spending a week in Portugal.
Farrell said the first item on the agenda is an all-hands meeting with the players.
“Yes, we have our first meeting this afternoon where we will be open and honest,” he said.
“We are open and honest in the sense that we take any type of win in the past and take every opportunity to grow and try to figure it out together.
“Addressing the problem is the only way to change the situation and we will certainly do that in the coming weeks.”
With Mack Hansen and Jimmy O’Brien injured and Sexton and Keith Earls retired, Farrell will join 26 players from the squad that traveled to France for the Six Nations.
“Look at the team we’ve picked, we’ve capped a lot of players over the last few years,” Farrell said.
“Some of those players [have] Some players with fewer than 10 caps have not been part of a team for the past 12 to 18 months. Therefore, it is very important to try to grow the team in that sense.
“Is this a new start? No, considering everything we’ve been through.
“We want to continue to grow and continue to evolve the game, but you can’t do that by just cutting off your legs and starting again.
“This is the start of a new Six Nations because competition for places is invaluable and we have to keep it that way.
“I don’t accept the four-year cycle that often happens after the World Cup.”
Last week, Farrell named Peter O’Mahony (above, left) as captain.
He said of the 34-year-old: “There’s great leadership within the group and there are several candidates, but it’s going to continue to grow and Peter will be at the heart of that and help with that. Deaf,” he said.
“There are people who make the atmosphere in the room better. It’s very important to have someone like that in the dressing room, both on the field and on game day, and Peter is definitely one of them.
“Just be yourself and help others grow. I know he will do this country proud.”