VIDEO: Farrell thinks 'selector' Rassie is hilarious
VIDEO: Ireland head coach Andy Farrell has come out in support of Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus picking an Irish side on social media this week.
In the build-up to this weekend, Erasmus again took to X as he often does with tongue in cheek, obviously relishing playing those mind games every so often.
In one of his latest posts, he predicted what a potential Ireland team could be and added their caps and weight. Farrell had a big smile on his face when asked for his response to the post.
“It’s great. It’s hilarious,” the experienced Ireland coach said and pointed to the reporter who asked the question, adding: “You think it’s good, and so do I.
“It’s hilarious.
“Why not? Why not? I don’t think anything of it.
“I think it was interesting, there were a few spelling mistakes, a few weights that were wrong.
“I thought it was great,” a smiling Farrell said.
(Article continues below Farrell interview…)
Asked what his team could expect from the Springboks, Farrell went into philosophical mode rather than talk about the game at hand.
The 2023 World Rugby Coach of the Year opted to talk about the opportunities a two-Test series in South Africa will mean to him and his players.
“We are unbelievably fortunate to have an opportunity to come to South Africa to such a prestigious ground [as Loftus Versfeld] where a lot of our lads have played [in the United Rugby Championship].
“But they won’t have played in the kind of atmosphere where South Africans come together.
“That’s perfect for us.
“That’s exactly what we want. We are so fortunate.
“It’s about finding out about yourself, it’s about growing.
“It’s about getting a bit more respect for yourself, not just for yourself but hopefully for your opposition as well.
“And you can’t get to challenge or test yourself in these extreme ways unless you get the perfect opportunity.
“So it’s here, it’s a privilege to be able to be here and to see what we can do with it,” he said.
Farrell has been part of the Irish coaching setup since 2016 having worked as defence coach under Joe Schmidt before being named as head coach after the 2019 World Cup.
During his tenure he has guided Ireland to two triple crowns in 2022 and 2023, the Six Nations Grand Slam in 2023, and led the team to number one in the world rankings.
Farrell also recorded a famous first-ever series win against New Zealand in 2022, four months before overseeing a win over Australia in Dublin.
