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Andy Farrell targeting former England 10 to fill vacant coaching position post Schmidt
By Online Editors
Andy Farrell is looking to France to potentially recruit a former England international as he sets about making plans for Ireland life after Joe Schmidt.
The current assistant will take over from the departing New Zealander when Schmidt quits his post at the end of this year’s World Cup.
And Farrell is reportedly poised to snap up an assistant whose own coaching career ironically started alongside Schmidt just over a decade ago.
Former England out-half Alex King began earning his coaching stripes in July 2008 while Schmidt was still working at Clermont as an assistant to Vern Cotter.
King had joined the club a year earlier following a stellar club career at Wasps and he played one season of Top 14 before hanging up his boots and embarking on a coaching apprenticeship that saw him spend five years in France before returning home to England.
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The 44-year-old, who won five Test caps under Clive Woodward, worked at Northampton under Jim Mallinder before gaining Test level experience in the Wales set-up for the 2017 Six Nations when Rob Howley deputised as head coach with Warren Gatland away on a Lions sabbatical.
King then headed back to France in July 2017 to take up the assistant’s post he currently hold under Cotter at Montpellier. Cotter’s future at the club is now in doubt amid rumours that owner Mohed Altrad has sounded out La Rochelle’s Xavier Garbajosa about taking over next summer.
It has been speculated that if that switch happened, King will be in the running to move in the opposite direction and fill the vacancy that Garbajosa would leave under Jono Gibbes at Rochelle.
However, the Sunday edition of The Rugby Paper is reporting that King is very much in the Ireland frame. Head coach Schmidt has trained the Irish backs at part of his remit since 2013.
But with him set to leave, Farrell, who has already been anointed as his successor, is on the look-out for a backs coach and the well-connected King appears to be the leading contender.
The Ireland assistants team of Farrell, forwards coach Simon Easterby and skills coach Richie Murphy, had their deals extended in May 2018 through to summer 2020.
However, the dynamic dramatically shifted last November when Schmidt confirmed he would be leaving at the end of 2019 and the IRFU decided to make Farrell their head-coach-in-waiting with a redrawn contract that will see him through to the 2023 World Cup.
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Latest Comments
John, McKenzie was 10 years ago and he only lasted 15 months until the disgustingly unfair affair that brought him down. I thought that if he didn't get another gig over Eddie V2 then he was done. I read that he had been approached but declined to put his name in the ring.
There are no potential Wallaby coaches outside of McKellar unless you have some inside info?
Go to commentsThe way they are defending is sometime pathetic to be honest. Itoje is usually on the inside of the rush and he is paired with a slower tight forward. Unable to keep up with the rush we have seen the line become disconnected on the inside where the big boys are. How many times have we seen Earl rush past the first receiver almost into no mans land covering no attacker. It looks like a system without any guidance. Tome Wright, Ikitau and a number of Wallabies went back to this soft centre as did Williams, Jordan and several others. Also when the line is broken the multiple lines of defence seems to be missing. The rush is predicated on a cover and recovery system with multiple lines of defence but with England you dont see it any more. Fitness and conditioning seems to be off as well as players are struggling to keep up with the intensity of the rush. Felix Jones has left a huge hole. The whole situation was and is a mess. Why they insist on not letting him go and having him work remotely is beyond me. Its leading to massive negative press and is a hot button issue thats distracting from the squad. Also the communication around Jones and his role has been absolute rubbish and is totally disjointed. While some say he is working remotely and playing a role others are saying theres been no contact. His role has not been defined and so people keep asking and keep getting different answers. England need a clean break from him and need to start over. Whatever reason for his leaving its time to cut the rope before the saga drags the whole Borthwick regime down. As for Joe El Abd well good luck to him. He is being made to look like an amateur by the whole saga and he is being asked to coach a system thats not his and which has been perfected and honed since 2017 by Nienaber, Jones, Erasmus and Co and which was first started by White in 2004. He is literally trying to figure out a system pioneered by double world cup winning coaches at the highest level and coach it at the same time. Talk about being on a hiding to nothing.
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