Chris Farrell’s Ireland ambitions tied to Munster fate ahead of Exeter visit

To begin with the blindingly obvious, this is a rather big game in Munster’s season, and in Chris Farrell’s too.

As with others in the Munster squad, such as Niall Scannell, Fineen Wycherely, Jack O'Donoghue and more, Ireland's proposed five-match tour to New Zealand involving an extended squad of 42 or so in July offers the chance of a return to the Irish set-up just over a year out from the World Cup.

The deeper Munster advance into both competitions, the better their chances. A rising tide lifts all boats and all that. In any event, Munster do not want to be facing an enforced two week break, consigned to watching the European knock-out stages unfold without them again.

"The knock-out stages of the European Cup is where teams like Munster with this history, and this quality, judge ourselves. We make no bones about it, our season rests to an extent on this," Farrell freely admitted to The Irish Times this week.

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“It’s a huge game and one that we feel pretty well prepared (for) given the insights we’ve been able to learn, and mistakes we made, from last week. We feel we’re in a really good position. We’re really excited about it.”

In weeks like this you wonder whether Munster’s past is a weight or a lift. Farrell, now in his fifth season with the province, thinks that in his first few years comparisons with the past may have been a burden.

“Right now we don’t compare ourselves to that group whatsoever. It’s all about writing our own history. That history will never disappear and it’s special, and if we can use it as inspiration then we’ll try to do because we want to have the memories that those lads have.”

Munster get some tough press but Farrell believes both the Champions Cup and URC are more competitive than ever, and notes: “We’re in a great position to make the quarter-finals of both competitions and we feel if we get there we’re as dangerous as anyone else on our day, because that’s what this team is about. We have a lot of character and we have individuals who’ve done it before in big games and we feel that there’s a hell of a lot to come from us this season.”

Bare Bones

Munster have had to cope with plenty of adversity but have hung tough, particularly with that resourceful win away to Wasps in December. Farrell recalls sitting with the rest of a skeletal squad and academy coaches Ian Costello and Andi Kyriacou in the High Performance Centre auditorium on the Monday of that week.

“We looked around and realised that this was all we were getting. We were counting the numbers we had and how many academy players we’d need.

“It was surreal. I’d never been in a situation like that where players and staff were involved in trying to get numbers together just so we had numbers for a training session and then to get through the week. It was incredible, testimony to Ian and Andy for steering us through that week, but also to Pete O’Mahony and the leaders, like Keith Earls, who made it so player driven, and to the young lads who stepped up. It was a huge day for them as well and they were incredible.”

That was also Farrell’s first game of a season which had been delayed by a lower abdominal/groin problem which had required specialist surgery in Germany. The Wasps game in Coventry came a week ahead of schedule, but he’s mighty glad he persuaded everyone he was ready. He’s been an ever-present in 15 games since.

Farrell’s carrying game has been strong - he led the way with a dozen carries last week - and those trademark pull backs while checking defenders helped Munster reach the edge several times . Farrell is also a good defender. He wouldn’t have played over 150 games for Grenoble, Munster and Ireland almost exclusively at outside centre otherwise.

Yet in both of Munster’s last two outings against Leinster and Exeter, their first phase defence has been outflanked by opponents bringing across their blindside wingers, with Farrell often left facing two attackers.

“I think it’s the nature of being an outside centre in professional rugby. It’s the hardest position to defend in and for a reason, because often you’re trying to look after two players.

“Yeah, we’ve been caught. We were caught against Leinster and I absolutely made an error for one of those when they took it to the edge, and Exeter are consistently good at taking teams on, on the edge. They’ve got wingers who have speed, power and footwork, and players who can get ball to space.”

“In every defensive unit there’s wingers, ‘12s’, ‘13s’, and we’ve got to all be on the same page. We’ve been really good this season but unfortunately we’ve made mistakes in the last two games and any time we’ve made an error we’ve been doing different things in different shapes. That’s something we’ve put a huge focus on this week, just the clarity of what we’re doing together and how we’re covering for each other.”

He’s always been a centre, be it a ‘12’ or ‘13’, since his formative until Bernard Jackman at Grenoble resolved that he was an outside centre.

Youth

A centre-back in football had been his favoured position initially with Fivemiletown United, his hometown club in Tyrone, and with Dungannon before he followed his older brother Dean to Clogher Valley RFC at the age of 11, and became hooked.

His brother has since taken over their father David’s sawmills business, Farrell Fencing Products, while his mother Janet still works in the local Carntall Primary School and Farrell also has a younger sister Katie-Jane.

Farrell’s progress with Clogher Valley brought him into the Ulster and Irish Youths system, and Jonathan Bell, Niall Malone and Gary Longwell visited him in Fivemiletown to work on his skills before persuading him to do his final school year at Campbell College.

He boarded at Campbell, who won the Ulster Schools Senior Cup. “After doing it I wondered ‘why didn’t I do this for a few years?’ I absolutely loved it.”

There followed three years in the Ulster academy, featuring two friendlies straight out of school, the second against Leicester opposite Manu Tuilagi. “That was mental.”

A competitive debut followed at the age of 18 against Leinster at the RDS in December 2011, opposite Gordon D’Arcy, and an outing off the bench against Munster in Thomond Park a week later. He also played for the Ireland Under-20s in the Six Nations and the Junior World Championships in New Zealand.

But torn anterior cruciate ligaments put paid to his second season and a broken metatarsal to six months of his third season.

“I always felt like I under-achieved in Ulster because of injuries. I played well whenever I was fit and I think I was highly valued but injuries just kept coming at bad times.

“I look back on it now and I think I’m quite fortunate because all of those things happen for a reason and it ended up with me playing with a Top 14 team for three years. I think that moulded me a lot as a player and a person. I don’t know if I would have achieved what I’ve achieved now without that experience.”

Going to Grenoble was a brave move for a 21-year-old.

“I remember sitting on the flight wondering ‘what the hell am I doing?’ I didn’t speak a word of French but I absolutely loved it from the minute I got there.”

There was the volume of games, 74 in all, as well as quality.

“It felt like Champions Cup week every week. Because of the competition in the Irish provinces, it’s something that a lot of youngster miss out on. I had that at the highest level from 21 onwards.”

Homecoming

On returning to Ireland he had options but Farrell felt Munster was the province where he could have the most impact and suited him as a person, after talking to Mike Prendergast and others.

“I always thought they were more interested in me than anyone else in Ireland. When I spoke with Rassie and others, they made me feel valued and that I could have an impact.”

He also fulfilled his ambition of playing for Ireland, making his debut against Fiji in November 2017. But after being named Man of the Match in his Six Nations debut, a 37-27 win over Wales, Farrell suffered a knee injury during an open session in the Aviva Stadium which ended his season.

The most recent of his 15 caps was against Japan last July as he missed the November window due to that abdominal problem.

“Injuries are part of this sport and you have absolutely no control over the timing of them,” the 29-year-old reasons. “It’s about how you react to them. I feel I can continue to prove to the right people that I deserve more time in a green jersey. Everyone in an Irish province aspires to it and I’m no different. I’m still as hungry as I ever was.”

Either way, this is a big year in his life. He and fiancée Estelle, from Armagh, are expecting their first child in a month’s time.

Farrell has also signed on with Munster for another two years until 2024.

“I love it here and I don’t see myself being anywhere else. There’s going to be changes here over the next few months but the core group of players and the culture that’s engraved in this group won’t change.

“Every day everyone is trying to better themselves and that’s the kind of culture you want to be involved in. You don’t get that everywhere, I know that as much as anyone. Players from Munster and the Irish provinces probably take it for granted but it’s not the case everywhere, and this is special.”

It’s been a circuitous route, not without its bumps, but there’s nowhere else he’d rather be.