Andy Farrell believes the inspirational spirit of outgoing captain Johnny Sexton can help Ireland return to challenge on the biggest stage after another agonising World Cup exit marked the end of an era.
Ireland suffered elimination following Saturday evening’s tense 28-24 defeat to New Zealand in Paris which stretched their wait for a knockout win at the tournament to 36 years and counting.
Fly-half Sexton and veteran wing Keith Earls are already confirmed to be heading for retirement, while Farrell’s 33-man squad in France contained a further 15 players aged 30 or above.
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The head coach expects the togetherness developed during the last four-year cycle to continue regardless of potential personnel changes and feels the departing Sexton will remain a key part of that.
“I think a lot of our group are still learning and I said to the group in the changing room the reason they’re going to keep on learning is because of this guy (Sexton) sat beside me here,” said Farrell.
“The impact that he’s had on the rest of the team over the last four years has been amazing.
“And the way that he’s conducted himself as a leader and as a player and the way that he’s shown the love of playing for Ireland will be remembered and connected to this group for many years to come.
“Through his example, the younger guys will keep on getting better and striving to be better, there’s no doubt about that.”
Ireland went into a mouthwatering showdown with the All Blacks as the world’s top-ranked team and marginal favourites.
But their remarkable 17-match winning run was halted as the Kiwis avenged last summer’s series defeat on home soil to book a last-four meeting with Argentina.
Asked what gives him confidence for the future, Farrell continued: “Just knowing what we’ve got. The type of character that we’ve got, the type of people we’ve got, the type of player, staff.
“The hunger to want to wear the green jersey.
“It is the end for this team because people are going to be leaving, but the competition that this team has built over the years will continue because of how it’s been driven, certainly over the last couple of years.
“The talent that we’ve got in Ireland will continue to come through and we’ll continue to challenge, I have no doubt about that.”
Fine margins decided a thrilling Stade de France showdown, with New Zealand continually holding Ireland at arm’s length to lead from the eighth minute to the final whistle.
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Scores from native Kiwis Bundee Aki and Jamison Gibson-Park, plus a penalty try, kept Farrell’s men on the cusp of a stunning comeback from 13-0 down.
Farrell had reservations about a raft of scrum penalties conceded by prop Andrew Porter, but was eager for Ireland to avoid sounding like “bitter losers”.
“We’ve a different view to what was going on out there, but we don’t want to sit here and have sour grapes,” he said. “We want to congratulate New Zealand on a fantastic performance.
“The scrum was part of the equation, 100 per cent, and we’ll get the answers. Andrew 100 per cent was very frustrated with what was going on out there.
“We don’t want to be bitter losers. We want to hold our head up high and do it the right way.”
Meanwhile, Sexton paid tribute to fellow retiree Earls, who bows out on 101 caps and second only to Brian O’Driscoll in Ireland’s all-time list of try scorers.
“He’s a legend and one of my best mates, not just in rugby but in life,” said Sexton.
“He’s a top-class human being. You couldn’t meet a more popular lad in the squad.
“He’ll go down as one of the very best for sure. This group will miss him definitely.”
Nyeem Young to lead West Indies Academy squad named for Ireland tour
Cricket West Indies (CWI) has unveil the squad selected for the upcoming West Indies Academy tour of Ireland, slated from June 8th to June 29th, 2024.
This tour will comprise five matches, encompassing three 50-over matches and two four-day matches against Ireland’s Emerging Men’s Team. It signifies a reciprocal tour following Ireland's visit to the West Indies in November 2023.
“We continue to be methodical in our approach by exposing our academy players to various opposition and conditions across different formats. This is key to their development and fosters resilience and adaptability," said Miles Bascombe, CWI Director of Cricket.
Nyeem Young will continue as Captain, with Teddy Bishop as Vice-Captain for both formats.
"Nyeem’s leadership qualities have been evident throughout his tenure, notably steering the Academy team during the Super50 and West Indies Championship campaigns. His continued captaincy is a testament to his exceptional leadership skills and contribution to the team,” noted Graeme West, CWI’s High-Performance Manager in reference to Young.
Regarding Bishop's selection as Vice-Captain, West highlights, "Teddy Bishop's elevation to Vice Captaincy underscores his growing stature within the team. His adept handling of leadership responsibilities during Young's absence and his invaluable experience with the West Indies A Team and Senior Teams make him an ideal choice for the role."
The full squad is listed as follows:
Nyeem Young - Captain
Teddy Bishop - Vice Captain
Kadeem Alleyne
Jewel Andrew
Ackeem Auguste
Joshua Bishop
McKenny Clarke
Joshua James
Jordan Johnson
Leonardo Julian
Johann Layne
Ashmead Nedd
Kelvin Pitman
Ramon Simmonds
Carlon Tuckett
Team Management Unit:
Head Coach: Ramesh Subasinghe
Assistant Coach: Rohan Nurse
Physiotherapist: Neil Barry
Strength & Conditioning Coach: Shayne Cooper
Manager & Team Analyst: Kesh Ramphal
Fraser Brown ‘hugely proud’ of Scotland career as he announces rugby retirement
Fraser Brown declared himself “hugely proud” of his Scotland career as he announced his retirement from professional rugby.
The 34-year-old Glasgow hooker has not played since rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament while playing for the World XV against the Barbarians at Twickenham last May and he has now conceded defeat in his bid to return to action.
Brown won 61 Scotland caps, with the first of them coming against Italy in 2013 and the last in the Six Nations match at home to Ireland in 2023, the same game incidentally in which Stuart Hogg won his final cap. The front-rower went to both the 2015 and 2019 World Cups.
“When you have a serious injury like I did with an ACL at the end of your career, it is always going to be hard to come back from,” Brown told Scottish Rugby.
“That probably made it a little easier to announce my retirement but it’s still a surreal and strange feeling.
“I’m hugely proud to have played so many times for Scotland during my career. To get one cap was great, but then my second one came against the All Blacks at Murrayfield which was such a special occasion.
“To reach 50 caps was a big moment as I had to deal with a lot of injuries throughout my career and to be part of the growth process of the team which has resulted in where they are now has been cool.”
At club level, Brown made 141 appearances for Glasgow after joining from Edinburgh in 2011.
The hooker helped them win the Guinness Pro12 in 2015 with victory over Munster in the final in Belfast, while his last appearance for Warriors proved to be last season’s Challenge Cup final defeat by Toulon in Dublin.
Glasgow head coach Franco Smith paid tribute to Brown, saying: “Fraser is the epitome of a modern professional and someone who should serve as a role model to any young player starting their journey.
“The respect with which he is held, not only within the Glasgow Warriors community but within the wider rugby family, should serve to underline the achievements he has earned throughout his career and the manner in which he has achieved them.
“His work ethic and determination to bring the best out of the people and players around him has been clear to all throughout his career.
“I wish him the very best for whatever comes next and I know he will apply that same work ethic and determination that made him one of this club’s most distinguished Warriors.”
Brown becomes the second experienced Scotland front-rower to announce his retirement in the space of a month after Edinburgh prop WP Nel recently revealed he would be hanging his boots up at the end of this season.
England tap into knowledge of Brian Ashton to play entertaining brand of rugby
England have been tapping into the knowledge of veteran attack guru Brian Ashton to achieve their aim of filling Twickenham.
The Red Roses ran in 14 tries in an 88-10 victory over Ireland that places them on the brink of claiming a sixth consecutive Guinness Women’s Six Nations title when they face France on Saturday.
A thrilling attacking performance before a 48,778 crowd was born out of the belief that in order to play in front of a full house of Twickenham at next year’s home World Cup, they must play appealing rugby.
And helping them achieve that aim is Ashton, a former England men’s head coach regarded as a visionary in the game whose expertise has been enlisted by Red Roses boss John Mitchell.
“Brian makes us ask questions. ‘If this is the picture, what is the easiest way that you can take the wins?’” said Dow, who ran in a hat-trick against Ireland.
“I do think it is about asking those questions and having Brian Ashton available throughout the week…I absolutely adore the man.
“The way he phrases things almost makes you re-think the philosophy of rugby. I think in the English brand the philosophy is ‘let’s kick to the corner, let’s take the territory’. But is that the philosophy of all rugby? Can we expand that?
“At the end of the day, professional rugby is a business in its own way. We need to be proving to the whole of England that we can play an exciting brand of rugby.”
While England march on by overwhelming the opposition in front of them, Ireland’s blowout highlights the gulf in class in the women’s game and affects the credibility of the Six Nations.
The Red Roses have accumulated 228 points after four rounds and France are the only European team capable of taking the wind out of their sails when the rivals clash in Bordeaux.
“I 100 per cent think teams will catch up and as much as we may be on top now, it is on us to try and work to keep that place and demand more from ourselves,” Dow said.
“Because as much as we’d love the game to grow, we want to keep the gap ourselves and continue to prove that we can be the best.”
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