The former flanker, who yesterday named Sam Prendergast in a 33-man squad for next month’s Emerging Ireland tour to South Africa, will step into the top job for the Six Nations and the summer tour of Romania and Georgia, and he insists the boss will not have an overarching presence during that window.
Ireland are open to bringing in another coach to help with the workload when Farrell is preparing for the Lions and Easterby didn’t rule out a move for Felix Jones, who is serving a notice period with the RFU after signalling his intention to leave the English set-up.
Ireland has never gone into a Six Nations without its head coach, a scenario Wales faced in 2013 and 2017 when Warren Gatland handed control to Rob Howley. There is a perception that Farrell will still hold an influence behind the scenes, but Easterby believes he’ll have autonomy in the role.
“Andy has a lot to get through in terms of the Lions,” he said. “I’m sure he’d be on the end of a phone if needed, but as far as we’re concerned he’s stepping away completely and he’s leaving us to crack on and get on with it….
“He’s been fully involved in the progression and the continuity and he will be right through until the end of November and, after that, I think his focus has to switch to a massive year for him in terms of preparing for that Lions tour to Australia.”
Farrell viewed last season as a “continuation” of the last World Cup cycle, but with the Emerging Ireland tour, a busy November schedule and the coach’s sabbatical there’s a sense that there may be a pivot towards 2027 this year.
“I don’t know, I suppose we’re three years out from a World Cup, you’re still kind of looking short term in terms of your next game, your next group of matches but also one eye on two years down the line, three years down the line there’s a World Cup,” Easterby said.
“I guess there’s some form of looking short term, it’s important that we focus on the here and the now but also the sort of progression of coaches, progression of players, building depth in the playing group in particular….
“I think that’s an exciting thing. I wouldn’t say it’s transitional, but it’s something where Faz has gone away and there’s a chance for others to step up, myself included, but some others in the group will maybe do slightly different roles.
“It’s exciting times and I’d like to think what’s been built already will just keep growing and we’ll keep building on that and allow that continuity to happen so that players can have the best opportunity to go and perform in a green jersey and, hopefully on the back of that, they get some success elsewhere.”
Easterby said a decision on whether a new coach will be added to the ticket will be made after the November internationals.
“It’s something that we have chatted about briefly,” he said.
“We will probably address it at the end of November after we have had a chance to work with Goody [Andrew Goodman] and address what he does but, yeah, it is certainly something we have had some conversations around.
“I also think its important we concentrate on the here and now and get through a busy few months between going to South Africa then before long we will be playing New Zealand here [at the Aviva Stadium] on a Friday night.
“We will try and work through what the coaching setup and dynamics look like at the back end of that November series and look ahead to the Six Nations then.
“It’s such an important year.
“Faz is such a big part of the success of this team over the last couple of seasons.
“There are important decisions to be made within that and it might mean a couple of coaches stepping up to do a few other things.
“It might mean we look for someone to come in on a short-term basis.
“Those conversations are being had, but there’s nothing set in stone and I think it will mean the next eight weeks being us finding out more about each other and he dynamics of the coaching group, along with Faz’s input as well.
“Longer-term, there’s lots of really, really good Irish coaches in the system working really hard and really well in the provinces. If someone fits the bill, we’ll certainly be looking to add to the group if needed.
“There’s no closed book on this [adding someone from inside the Irish system or outside], it’s pretty open and it’s exciting really.
“If we think there’s a need for something and we’re losing a big personality in Faz and a lot of IP in what he brings to the group – if it means someone comes from within the system or outside, that’ll be a conversation we have with David Humphreys.
“I think he’s open-minded to whatever adds to the group and makes the group as strong as it can be with continuity.”
For Easterby, the Six Nations will be the first head-coach role he’s taken on since he was in charge of Scarlets more than a decade ago.
“I’m really excited,” he said.
“I’m fortunate that I’ve had a couple of great head coaches to work with under Joe and Faz and now we have a really strong backroom of coaches, backroom management, people who just make things so much easier for the head coach to go on and do his job.
“I think that’s the quality of this group – Faz has put a brilliant team together, that will continue, obviously without him, but we’re really fortunate with the people we get to work with.
“I’m sure that support and quality will be there throughout the next Six Nations, apart from the fact we’re going to have a group of players who are going to be hungry and keen to go on and keep winning and be successful as a group, as a playing group, but also with one eye on what’s coming down the line later that summer.”
