Andy Farrell asks Ireland to 'push new boundaries' in Six Nations

Andy Farrell wants Ireland to "push new boundaries" in the upcoming Guinness Six Nations.

Many feel that Ireland's three wins from three in the autumn, allied to the victory over England at the tail end of the last championship, has signalled a turning point as Farrell’s stamps his own mark on the side, which he took over in late 2019.

Asked what would constitute a good tournament for Ireland, which starts against Wales on 5 February, Farrell replied: "Well, I mean it makes me laugh when coaches say they want to finish second or third.

"I don’t know anyone who doesn’t want to finish first.

"We’re no different to every other team in the competition in that regard.

"But I think ultimately we want to kick on as a group, we want to kick on in the way we play the games, we want to push new boundaries for ourselves.

"We want to play every game as quick as we can and so does every other team.

"As I always say, each game takes its own course and certainly when you try and predict how things are going to go in the Six Nations, you come away with egg on your face trying to predict it, as a punter, never mind being a coach.

"There are so many variables aren’t there? Whether it be momentum, red cards, bonus points etc, the weather…you’ve got to be adaptable and roll with the punches because that’s what the Six Nations is, it’s a competition that is like no other."

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Farrell was defence coach under Joe Schmidt and experienced first-hand the highs and lows of the Kiwi’s tenure, which came to an inglorious end at the World Cup in 2019.

"As a coach, it's always pretty important to keep