Andrew David Farrell OBE born on 30 May 1975, is an English professional rugby union coach and former dual-code rugby player who has been coaching the Ireland national team since 2020.
Andy Farrell has 34 caps for Great Britain and 11 times for England in rugby, including the 1995 and 2000 World Cups, and eight times for England in rugby, including the World Cup Federation 2007.
He was a winger in rugby league, playing for Wigan from 1991 to 2004, winning six championships and four Challenge Cups, as well as numerous individual awards. He regularly captains Wigan, England, and Great Britain. In rugby union, he played for Saracens from 2005 to 2009, mainly in a pivotal position.
After retiring as a player, Andy Farrell went on to join the rugby league as a coach, working as an assistant coach for Saracens, Munster, England, Ireland, and the Lions of England and Ireland. He became Ireland’s head coach in 2019. He coached them to a 2-1 series win over New Zealand in 2022 and a Grand Slam in 2023.
Andy Farrell was born in Wigan, Greater Manchester and first played rugby league at the age of 10 at a summer camp run by Wigan Warriors captain Graeme West. After developing with local club Orrell St James, he made his first-team debut for hometown club Wigan at the age of 16 in a 32–8 win over Keighley in the 1991–92 Regal Trophy at Central Park, Wigan on Sunday, November 24, 1991.
Andy Farrell became the youngest player to win a Challenge Cup final in 1993 at the age of 17 years and 11 months, coming on as a substitute against Widnes. He then became a full-fledged international at the age of 18, making his debut against New Zealand later in 1993.
After the 1993–94 Rugby Football League season, in which he scored in Wigan’s Challenge Cup final victory, Andy Farrell traveled with his club to Brisbane and played second row in their victory in the 1994 World Club Challenge against Australian Premiers Brisbane.
He considers this to be one of his greatest achievements in rugby league. Andy Farrell was selected to play for Great Britain against Australia in all three Ashes Test matches of the Kangaroo Tour in 1994. The following year, he came on as a substitute for Wigan in the 1995 Challenge Cup final against Leeds Rhinos. At the end of the season, he played as a winger for England in the 1995 World Cup final, but Australia won the match and kept the trophy.
In July 1996, Andy Farrell was named captain of the Wigan Warriors and later that year, aged 21 years and 4 months, became the UK’s youngest-ever captain, leading the Lions tour in 1996 in New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Fiji. In October of the same year, he won the prestigious Man of Steel award and was also named as a winger in the 1996 Super League Dream Team.
On September 28, 1997, in the 1997 Super League Finals, Andy Farrell played as a winger in the battle and was awarded the Harry Sunderland Trophy as Man of the Match. After the 1997 season, Andy Farrell was selected to captain Great Britain in all three Super League Test matches against Australia. He commanded the Wigan Warriors in the second line in their 1998 Super League Final win over Leeds Rhinos.
Andy Farrell played for the Wigan Warriors as a loose striker, scoring once and scoring twice, in the 2000 Super League Final loss to St. Helens. In the knockout round, he was chosen to captain England at the 2000 Rugby World Cup. In 2001, Andy Farrell set the Wigan club record for most points in a season with 429 and most points and most in a Super League season with 388.
He’s only the second Wigan Warriors player to score more than 3,000 points in all competitions. Andy Farrell played for the Wigan Warriors during the 2001 Super League Final loss to the Bradford Bulls. He celebrated his endorsement match in 2002 and was also the captain of Wigan which won the 2002 Challenge Cup.
Andy Farrell played for the Wigan Warriors as a striker and scored twice in the 2003 Super League Final loss to Bradford Bulls. He was inducted into the Order of the British Empire for his contributions to gaming on the 2004 New Year’s List. He has won the Player of the Year Award and twice won the Steel Man Award. Currently England’s longest-serving international, Andy Farrell was subsequently selected for the UK squad for the 2004 Rugby League Tri-Nations season-ending tournament.
In the final against Australia, he played second, missing the only kick in a 4–44 loss to the Lions. Andy Farrell received the Golden Boot as the best player in the world in 2004. He retired when he ranked second in the list of all-time leading scorers of the English rugby league. Andy Farrell is a poes (behind George Fairbairn), with 78 points.
Andy Farrell was promoted to Saracen’s first team coach in late 2010 after impressing as a skills coach. The RFU announced on 8 December 2011 that he and Graham Rowntree would join the national coaching staff, led by Stuart Lancaster, for the 2012 Six Nations Championship. After a successful campaign, Andy Farrell had the opportunity to become a full member of the England coaching staff but decided to return to Saracens. However, he soon left the London team.
On 6 January 2016, it was announced that Farrell would take over as Ireland’s defensive coach after the conclusion of the 2016 Six Nations Championship, because his previous contract with the England team prevented him from working with an international team until April 2016, Farrell joined the Irish province of Munster in January 2016 in a four-month temporary advisory role.
On 26 November 2018, it was announced that Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt would step down after the 2019 Rugby World Cup, with Farrell taking over as head coach. In the 2023 Six Nations Championship Ireland defeated Wales in their opening game on 4 February, and went on to defeat France, Italy, and Scotland before beating England 29-16 on 18 March to win the Championship, triple crown, and the grand slam.
Andy Farrell married Colleen O’Loughlin, the sister of his former Wigan teammate Sean O’Loughlin, in 1995 and has four children, including England rugby union player Owen Farrell.
What is Andy Farrell’s relationship status?
Andy Farrell is married to Colleen O’Loughlin, the sister of his former Wigan teammate Sean O’Loughlin. The pair met as teenagers and had their first child Owen when Colleen was 16 years old.
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