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Mike Catt's appointment as Andy Farrell's Ireland assistant has not gone down well with Irish fans

Andy Farrell (left) felt it best he recruited his former England colleague Mike Catt (right) than give a local Irish coach a change with the Ireland national team (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

The weekend confirmation that Italy attack coach Mike Catt will join Andy Farrell’s Ireland coaching team after this year’s World Cup has not gone down too well with fans on social media.

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The World Cup winner and England attack backs coach between 2012 and 2015 has served under Conor O’Shea with Italy since 2016, but is set to be part of the new Irish era after Joe Schmidt impending departure.

Catt’s appointment means that the entire ensemble of coaches from England’s dismal home World Cup in 2015 will be coaching in Ireland next year.

Farrell and Catt will be with the national team, Graham Rowntree is joining Munster as part of their coaching team after the World Cup, and Stuart Lancaster has been a pivotal member of Leinster’s backroom staff since 2016.

This sizeable English contingent in Ireland has left some fans questioning the resources and coaching set-up in Ireland currently. Of the four provinces, Leo Cullen is the only Irish head coach and the Irish Rugby Football Union has been criticised for failing to create a pathway for domestic coaches.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with having foreign coaches in charge of a national team. Ireland have had great success with Schmidt, as have Wales with Warren Gatland and England with Eddie Jones.

However, what fans are concerned about is Catt’s credentials and whether this appointment in Dublin is a case of recycling old coaches.

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Catt’s tenure with England did not end too well and some feel his indifferent time with Italy does not warrant this calling. However, rather than look for a new and emerging coach, the IRFU went for an option who has already worked with Farrell. This is what has been said:

https://twitter.com/mosstradamouse/status/1142181487640481792?s=20

https://twitter.com/petertherebel/status/1142447157791854593?s=20

https://twitter.com/Wall82Jonathan/status/1142165479194288128?s=20

https://www.instagram.com/p/BzIm3N7gAmr/

Of course, Catt would have learned a lot during his time with England and Italy and may be able to provide a lot to Ireland. There is no denying that he was hugely respected player and a great tactician which usually translates well into the world of coaching.

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However, it is more what this appointment represents that fans are not happy about, as the coaching positions in Ireland continue to be outsourced – primarily to Englishmen – rather than from within.

WATCH: Episode four of the RugbyPass Rugby Explorer series where Jim Hamilton visits Italy, the country Ireland have recruited Mike Catt from

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NB 45 minutes ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Nice bit if revisioniusm but that's all it is JW.


For your further education, I found the following breakdown of one prominent club's finances in the Top 14 [Clermont].


For Clermont (budget of €29.5 million for 2021-2022) :

- 20% from ticket sales

- 17% from the LNR (includes TV Rights, compensation from producing french internationals and other minor stuff)

- 5% from public collectivities (so you're looking at funds from the city of Clermont, the department of Puy-De-Dôme and the region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes)

- 4% from merchandising and events

- 3% from miscellaneous

- 51 % from sponsorships and partnerships. They've got 550 different partners. The main ones are CGI, Groupama, Limagrain/Jacquet, Omerin, Paprec, Renault and of course Michelin (not surprising since they're actually the founders of the club).


As you can see nothing comes from the FFR at all. The LNR is a separate entitiy to FFR and their aims frequently do not accord.


It is also why the European breakaway plotted by LNR and PR back in 2013 had nothing to do with the governing bodies of either England or France - and it most certainly did not have their blessing https://www.espn.co.uk/rugby/story/_/id/15331030/jean-pierre-lux-anglo-french-cup-detrimental-european-rugby


And from the horse's mouth [ex AB skipper Sean Fitapatrick] about the comp between Top 14 and Super Rugby:


"The Top 14 in France is probably the best rugby competition in the world at the moment, purely for the week-in, week-out.”


“I think the quality of players. They are bigger, they are faster, they are stronger. Which then carries on into the international game.”

Take it from someone who knows JW😅

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