Challenges await as Simon Easterby steps into Andy Farrell's shoes

Simon Easterby is due to name his first full Irish squad on Wednesday amidst Andy Farrell's Irish sabbatical for his role with the Lions.

Aside from the huge opportunity and privilege for Easterby, it’s a difficult position for him to be in with Farrell returning to the job after the Lions tour in the summer. How much autonomy does he have over the selection and how much is he playing to Farrell’s tune?

Coaching is a difficult job, then you bring in the added selection responsibilities and it becomes an even bigger animal. People management can always be difficult, giving some the chance to push their career on, but others could hit a roadblock in their career development or exit strategy and Easterby is now taking on the mantle.

When you’re doing a challenging job, it’s always made tougher by trying to do it someone else’s way. If Easterby is going to succeed or fail in this trial run, it’s much easier to do so by your own convictions and clarity of thought. Second guessing your own decisions by trying to think through the mind of your superior is a recipe for disaster.

Even small things can be problematic in coaching when you’re not the one in control. In the amateur game, you can often find yourself coaching a block of training on behalf of another coach. Whether that is in the earlier days of getting an opportunity, or because circumstances leave you short a body.

Attempting to coach through another person’s session plan and coaching cues can be quite troublesome, despite everyone’s aim for alignment. Cutting your own cloth is often far more effective.

That's a very minor example of what the next few months might feel like for Easterby. I’ve no doubt there’s an agreement in place or a level of comfort with each other that