Farrell
Andy Farrell is a legend in both codes of rugby. Discover everything there is to know about this great of the game with RugbyPass, your resident rugby gurus.
Andy Farrell Bio
Andy Farrell is a legend of the sport of rugby and father of England fly-half Owen Farrell. Following a successful professional career where he represented his country in both rugby league and rugby union, he’s now launched a successful coaching career. He’s currently the head coach of the Ireland national team.
As a dual-code former international, Andy Farrell was a goal-kicking loose forward in rugby league where he captained Great Britain and Wigan Warriors. He also represented England in two World Cups and won numerous awards, such as six Championships and four Challenge Cups with Wigan.
When his rugby league career came to an end, he joined Saracens. Over his four years playing rugby union, Andy Farrell played 28 times for Saracens and made eight appearances for his country, including several appearances at the Rugby World Cup in 2007.
In 2009, Andy Farrell announced that his playing career had ended and that he was taking on a coaching role at Saracens. After impressing as a skills coach in his first season, he was promoted to first-team coach in 2010. He then permanently joined the England coaching staff in 2012, where he remained until 2015. During this period, Andy Farrell also coached on the 2013 British and Irish Lions tour, where he was heavily praised by head coach Warren Gatland.
After he left his role with England, he joined Munster as a temporary advisor before he became Ireland’s defensive coach. However, when previous head coach Joe Schmidt stepped down after the 2019 Rugby World Cup, Andy Farrell took the top job. He’s remained in the role since and continues to transform the fortunes of the Ireland national rugby team.
