sport news Andy Farrell is the motivator supreme with a human touch but woe betide anyone ... trends now
It all started over lunch at the Beyerskloof wine estate in Stellenbosch, South Africa. It was 2009 and Andy Farrell was on tour with Saracens for a friendly against the Stormers in Cape Town.
Farrell was soaking up the sun when he received an invite from Brendan Venter, the former Springbok who would be replacing Eddie Jones as coach that summer. ‘Andy was at the end of his playing career at Saracens,’ says Venter. ‘The money men — Nigel Wray, Edward Griffiths — were saying to me, “It’s not going to work with Andy as a player, could you use him as a coach?”
‘I didn’t know Faz. I was just starting at Saracens and I said, “Let me go for lunch with him and see”. We went to this lovely wine farm with his wife, Colleen. Faz is a good human being who treats people well. After lunch I was convinced. Having captained Great Britain at rugby league, his leadership skills were never going to be an issue.’
Farrell bedded into a coaching team with Mark McCall, Alex Sanderson and Paul Gustard. St Albans was his home, a stone’s throw from his son, Owen, who had broken into the first team. Success came quickly, winning the Premiership with a settled squad of established players. ‘There was continuity at Saracens, just like there is at Ireland now,’ adds Venter.
Fast forward to 2012 and Farrell joined Stuart Lancaster’s England Six Nations set-up. The same traits shone through: motivation, confidence and Hollywood-style speeches. He quickly earned a place on Warren Gatland’s Lions coaching team the next year. His ‘hurt arena’ speech before the third Test in Sydney became the stuff of legend.
Andy Farrell is the motivator supreme with a human touch - but he still comes down hard on those that don't meet his standards
Farrell is looking to become the first ever head coach to secure back-to-back Grand Slams in the Six Nations
‘Andy could hold a room the moment he walked in it,’ says former England full back Mike Brown. ‘I grew up watching rugby league and I loved watching Andy and Kris Radlinski. When he switched to union, he ended up playing for England but he didn’t tear up trees in union because he came to it quite late.
‘But he went on to become one of the best coaches I worked under. With defence, he motivated you and got you energised. His northern accent helped!
‘My second start in the Six Nations under Stuart was Scotland away, in 2013. I was nervous. I was chewing Andy’s ear off about Radlinski a few hours before the game and he said, “You’re a much better player than he was”. Whether he meant it or not, it filled me with confidence. I was man of the match that day.’
Farrell reached one of his lowest ebbs when England crashed out of their home World Cup in 2015 at the group stage. The coaches had their contracts terminated and incoming coach Jones was left with a decision: does Farrell stay or go? He opted for a clean break, with reservations about Farrell coaching his son.
‘Eddie thought it was better to have a fresh start, which was right,’ adds Brown. ‘By
