Simon Easterby is set to be announced as the head coach of Ireland for the Six Nations competition in 2025. This news will be confirmed within the next few weeks, ahead of his repeat role as coach for the upcoming Emerging Ireland tour to South Africa. Until the year ends, Andy Farrell is set to remain as head coach for the four-match Autumn Series against teams from New Zealand, Argentina, Fiji, and Australia. Afterwards, Farrell will take a break in preparation for leading the British and Irish Lions to Australia next summer.
Easterby was always the likely candidate to become the interim Ireland head coach for this Six Nations season due to his extensive experience as an Irish assistant. He seamlessly transitioned to coaching from being a player-coach as he retired in 2010, starting his coaching trade as the Scarlets’ defence coach for two seasons. Among the Irish coaches, only Farrell and Easterby have held the main coaching position, with Easterby serving as the head coach for Scarlets for two seasons starting in 2012.
It was a smart move when Easterby was invited to join the Irish coaching team in 2014 to replace John Plumtree. More than a decade onwards, Easterby is still part of their coaching set up. After initial stints as a forwards’ coach for Ireland under Joe Schmidt and later, Farrell, he transitioned to becoming a defence coach in January 2021 when Paul O’Connell was brought into the team.
Easterby, now in his 11th consecutive season in Irish coaching circles, has previously completed ten seasons as an international player for Ireland, during which he earned 65 caps. His first appearance for Ireland was during the 44-22 victory over Scotland in 2000. For Easterby, Ireland’s defence is a significant part of the team—an insight he acquired from his experience working under a defence-specialised head coach.
The influence of a head coach who highly values defence can significantly permeate the group and this had been observed during Easterby’s tenure as Ireland’s defence coach. In his five championships, Ireland registered the joint-minimum number of tries conceded in 2021, and maintained the best defensive record across three consecutive seasons, with only 27 tries conceded during this period.
Compared to its counterparts, under the stellar defensive expert Shaun Edwards, France saw 41 tries in the last four Six Nations, Scotland 50, while both Wales and England matched at 54 each, and Italy reaching 99.
Easterby also holds a notable track record as assistant coach to Schmidt and Farrell for ten campaigns where Ireland secured four Six Nations titles, encompassing two Grand Slams. Moreover, he directed the 2022 Emerging Ireland tour to South Africa in Farrell’s absence. He was supported by O’Connell, scrum coach John Fogarty, the outgoing Mike Catt, and Andrew Goodman, the soon-to-be Ireland backs’ coach.
Accoring to the IRFU’s new high-performance director, David Humphreys, he suggested that Easterby was the ideal replacement for Farrell during a media session in July. Humphreys acknowledged it as a thrilling chance for someone else to step in. This situation, he remarked, allows us to bring someone else in at a crucial juncture and assess them. He also mentioned that Andy will play a significant role in determining who will replace him.
Easterby, who has quietly compiled a remarkable coaching CV, is expected to celebrate a significant achievement as he leads Ireland into a Six Nations campaign at the age of 49. He will be just the sixth head coach for Ireland over 28 championship editions since Warren Gatland succeeded Brian Asthon after just one round of the 1998 Five Nations. To put this in perspective, Gatland supervised four championships, Eddie O’Sullivan held the reins for seven, Declan Kidney for five, and Joe Schmidt for six, with Andy Farrell leading the most recent five.
The consistency observed in Ireland’s rugby performances since the dawn of the 2000s has been credited to—and also reflects—the country’s stable coaching roster during this period. All three permanent head coaches have led the team to Grand Slam victories.
Contrastingly, the 90s were marked by an unstable coaching scenario, with six different head coaches marking the decade, beginning with Jimmy Davidson’s tenure until 1990, and ending with Warren Gatland taking charge in the late 90s.
Additionally, several interim head coaches have been appointed post-2000, with Michael Bradley leading the two-Test tours to Japan (2005), and New Zealand and Australia (2008). Les Kiss led the team on their two-Test tour to the USA and Canada in 2013.
Simon Easterby, however, will make history as the first Irish interim head coach to lead during the Six Nations. He faces a challenging task to succeed Andy Farrell, as Ireland aims to become the first team to secure three consecutive championship titles. Easterby will hope to follow in the footsteps of Rob Howley, who guided Wales to their Six Nations victory in 2013 while Gatland was on a temporary leave from coaching Wales. Yet, the team faced a setback finishing fifth during Howley’s second stint in 2017, when Gatland took a break for a full 10 months for his second Lions head coach tour.
The following lists shows Ireland’s head coaches in the Six Nations since 2000, and throughout the professional era:
– Six Nations (2000-2025): Warren Gatland, Eddie O’Sullivan, Declan Kidney, Joe Schmidt, Andy Farrell, and Simon Easterby (interim for 2025).
– Professional Era (1995-): Murray Kidd, Brian Ashton, Warren Gatland, Eddie O’Sullivan (Michael Bradley was interim for the 2005 tour to Japan and the 2008 tour to New Zealand and Australia), Declan Kidney (Les Kiss was interim in 2013 for the tour to USA and Canada), Joe Schmidt, and Andy Farrell (with Simon Easterby as interim for 2025 Six Nations).