Ireland v All Blacks: Andy Farrell's insider bringing his box of tricks for a special Aviva night
by Michael Scully · Irish MirrorAndy Farrell's Kiwi insider is hoping that his box of attacking tricks will propel Ireland to victory on Friday night.
Andrew Goodman worked with the All Blacks' supremo Scott Robertson at ultra-successful Super Rugby kingpins Crusaders between 2019 and 2022, working at first on defence and skills before spending three seasons as backs coach.
He then returned to Leinster, where he had previously played under Joe Schmidt, before Farrell prised him away to replace former England star Mike Catt during the summer.
READ MORE:Peter O'Mahony makes fast dash to join Ireland squad as All Blacks suffer massive injury blows
Goodman goes back a long way with a lot of the players and coaches on the All Blacks side - prolific try-scorer Will Jordan, who made it 36 from 38 Test games on Saturday, has described him as a massive influence on his career through his time with Tasman and the Crusaders.
Naturally, even from the remove of Ireland's Algarve training base, Goodman's emotions are running a bit higher this week as he looks forward to a big reunion with old friends.
"Oh of course, yeah," he said. "Growing up in New Zealand, I was rugby mad and the All Blacks were a big part of my upbringing.
"My family was a rugby family so I've got the relationships I've got, not only through the coaching and management staff but through the playing group as well, makes it extra special.
"I’m looking forward to catching up with them for a beer after the game and going into battle, it’s a great place for me to start a Test career. Razor (Robertson) was a big mentor to me. He gave me my opportunity at the Crusaders and he’s someone I learned a great deal off, so I’ve got huge respect for Razor and all of his coaching group.
"I’ve worked alongside all of them. It's going to be great to go to battle with them. Obviously it works both ways - they know me well also. There’s little things you’ll look to maybe think about how they might do different areas of the game or what they might bring. But it's Test rugby, it’s a different level to what we were playing in Super Rugby in New Zealand.
"The game has kind of moved on and evolved a lot over the last couple of years. My first match with Ireland, that's what I'm focusing on. It's an opportunity for me to be a full-time Test coach and I'm very grateful for the opportunity and for the support I've had.
"People have asked me what the emotions are like - I feel nervous, I feel excited, getting up in the morning I know there's something great to look forward to. So I feel alive and I'm looking forward to it."
Under Catt and with Farrell making significant contributions, Ireland's attack has evolved in recent years into one of the most potent in world rugby.
The Irish Mirror has a new WhatsApp rugby news and top stories service. Sign up here to join the group. You can leave the group at any time.
It is Goodman's job now to improve it still further and, while this is his first Test week with the squad - he also worked with Samoa at last year's World Cup - the 42-year-old is feeling the benefit of having been on the tour of South Africa in July and was also back there with Emerging Ireland last month.
"You get used to the weeks and working alongside the coaches, some of the younger players coming through," he said. "So I've come to this little mini-camp here knowing everyone, which is crucial. I can just get on with the rugby, which is of course the most important thing.
"Ireland is doing a lot of great things through the attack side, where I’ve come in to assist. So I’ve got to evolve the game and little bits of what we’re training, what we’re doing every day and hopefully that will start to come through from this Test match on.
"I probably won’t say too much more than that - but hopefully you’ll be able to see the proof in the games over the November series."
Sign up for the latest sport news from our Irish Mirror sport newsletter here and receive special updates on the Ireland rugby team during the November internationals.