Andy Farrell is back, and Wednesday’s Autumn Nations Squad announcement proves nothing has really changed. The band is back together, minus three experienced members (Murray, Healy, and O’Mahony) of the orchestra. And if Irish rugby is being honest, it has missed their conductor. Simon Easterby did an admirable job while Farrell was away with the Lions. Ireland got through the 2025 Six Nations with four wins from five games and a triple crown. While Ireland got the results, the performances were just lacking the clinical edge that defined Farrell’s tenure. Now the leader returns, and it carries echoes of Steve Jobs returning to Apple in 1997. Jobs walked back into a company he had built that needed new direction. He needed…

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