From the outside looking in, this Andy Farrell Ireland team seemed to possess a very different attitude to the one we often saw from other Irish sides at the Rugby World Cup, especially in comparison to when they were coached by Joe Schmidt.
You could argue that the pressure they are under to perform at the tournament is greater than ever, although that has not affected them on the pitch. They seem to be enjoying every moment, soaking in the occasion and playing some fantastic rugby along the way.
In contrast, other Irish sides have often been crushed under the weight of expectation in previous iterations of this event.
So what has changed? It is clear that this is possibly the most talented Ireland squad we have ever had, something that certainly helps when it comes to coping with pressure.
The difference in their attitude is also quite a contrast, especially in comparison to the two most recent Rugby World Cups.
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Ireland staff member names big change from Joe Schmidt to Andy Farrell
Joe Schmidt was a phenomenal coach for Ireland, although it is fair to say that the players found it stressful to work under him at times. His attention to detail and intensity in camp was something that was sure to have weighed on them as time went on.
While Andy Farrell was a coach under Schmidt for some of this period, it is clear that he has taken a very different approach to getting the best out of his players. Not only does he give them more freedom in their roles on the pitch, but he also allows them more downtime off of it.
Ireland team manager Mike Kearney worked with both Andy Farrell and Joe Schmidt, and speaking ahead of a reunion with the Kiwi when the team face New Zealand this weekend, he pointed out the main difference in camp under the two head coaches (h/t RTE).
One of the key differences is that it’s probably a more relaxed environment under Andy than it was under Joe. That’s not to say that the environment under Joe was in any way poor.
Andy (Farrell) has introduced a lot of softer skills in terms of getting the families involved, a lot of down-time for players and staff – they're not always on and maybe that has come about because of the change from Carton House to the HPC [high performance centre] in Dublin, where you don’t feel like you’re working all day long from early morning to late in the evening.
That has certainly helped as well, but ultimately environments are all about players and environments are created by players as much as by management.
It’s one in, all in and they’re an extremely happy bunch, that comes with winning but they’ve huge respect for each other and get on extremely well. They’re the tightest group I’ve been involved in or seen, there’s great friendships among all 33.
They’re well able to enjoy the fun, their down-time. It's not hugely different, but it is different to under Joe when we were based at Carton House 24/7, you felt you were at work all the time.
It has been a nice change-up, so the environment around has changed a little bit as well.
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That attitude certainly seems to have rubbed off on the Ireland players, who seem more capable of taking the pressures of the Rugby World Cup in their stride this time around in comparison to when they played under Joe Schmidt and other Irish coaches.
Here's hoping that this will translate to success on the pitch now that we have reached the knockout stages.
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