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Ireland lock Iain Henderson has praised Andy Farrell for creating an open forum for tactical discussions after suggesting some players feared speaking up during the reign of Joe Schmidt.<\/p>\nIreland lock Iain Henderson has praised Andy Farrell for creating an open forum for tactical discussions after suggesting some players feared speaking up during the reign of Joe Schmidt.<\/p>\n
Henderson has been promoted to a six-man leadership group under new head coach Farrell and is enjoying a less regimented approach behind the scenes.<\/p>\n
The 27-year-old Ulster captain believes sections of the Irish squad were perhaps reluctant to clarify instructions under the rule of former boss Schmidt due to concerns about appearing incompetent.<\/p>\n
Ireland continue their Guinness Six Nations campaign with a mouthwatering clash at home to reigning Grand Slam champions Wales on Saturday and Henderson has sensed a positive mood change in the camp.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a different mentality around the place, there is a different mentality in meetings, there is a different relationship between players and coaches, there is a different relationship between players and players going over stuff together,\u201d said Henderson.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything that is done is done in a real positive manner to ensure that we are getting the best out of each other. We\u2019re doing it to make each other better and ultimately to get a better result at the weekend and everyone knows that.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe in years gone by, guys might have been a wee bit tentative of who they went and asked questions to, or who they are trying to get clarity (from) for fear of people thinking they don\u2019t know their detail, they don\u2019t know stuff.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut now a very open learning system has been put in place to ensure guys are free to get information whenever they want.\u201d<\/p>\n
Schmidt left Ireland after last year\u2019s World Cup following a largely successful six-year spell which included three Six Nations titles and a stint at the top of the world rankings.<\/p>\n
Farrell had formed part of the New Zealander\u2019s backroom staff, working as assistant coach.<\/p>\n
The 44-year-old\u2019s team go into a second successive game in Dublin with significant room for improvement after his tenure began with a nervy 19-12 success over unfancied Scotland.<\/p>\n
Prop Cian Healy echoed the comments of Henderson and revealed players are using quiet evenings at the team\u2019s training center to brush up on strategical matters in between games of darts and table tennis.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really open. You walk over to a coach and say, \u2018sit down with me for a few minutes, go through this with me, and help me get some clarity\u2019. And it\u2019s the same with players,\u201d said Healy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe players are grabbing each other, sitting at their computer, going over something.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve just got to pick everyone\u2019s brains a little bit.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur evenings here aren\u2019t full, they\u2019re not busy, we\u2019re playing table tennis and darts most of the evenings, so the opportunity to grab a lad and sit at a computer or go through a notebook with someone is there.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that\u2019s the reason why we have that time off in the evening, to be able to just pick each other up on stuff, get our detail on and go back and chill out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wales, under the guidance of new head coach Wayne Pivac, cross the Irish Sea buoyed by a ruthless bonus-point victory over Italy.<\/p>\n
They brushed aside Schmidt\u2019s side in Cardiff last year, winning 25-7 to complete a tournament clean sweep.<\/p>\n
Ireland had gone into the 2019 championship as Grand Slam holders and the emphatic defeat at the Principality Stadium capped a disappointing title defense which began with a home loss to England.<\/p>\n
Healy, the most experienced player in the squad with 96 caps, insists exacting revenge is not a motivating factor for this weekend\u2019s hotly-anticipated encounter at the Aviva Stadium.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t look back too much on that,\u201d the Leinster man said of last year\u2019s loss.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like to go in pretty clean slate in my mind and the motivation for me here is to succeed with this team, not looking for vengeance or anything like that.\u201d<\/p>\n