'You know that I love this!' - Farrell on Ireland future

Head coach Andy Farrell says he will "have a conversation" with the Irish Rugby Football Union about what comes next after Ireland's Triple Crown-winning Six Nations campaign.

Speculation about Farrell's departure from the role he has held since 2019 rose during the tournament, with English Prem side Saracens releasing a statement to distance them from "disrespectful" reports they had offered Farrell a coaching role for after the 2027 Rugby World Cup when his Ireland deal ends.

But after the 43-21 win over Scotland which closed their Six Nations campaign on a high, focus has again turned to Farrell's future.

And as he did before the Wales game, Farrell said he will talk to the IRFU, jokingly adding that while he would not want to step away, he would sometimes rather watch Ireland from the bar than from his coaching position.

"We've already spoken about having a conversation. That won't be too far away. So, we'll see how that goes," Farrell said.

"Nobody wants to give those away [days like Saturday]. I'd like to watch it though, sometimes. Walking down from the Shelbourne and doing a bit of a pub crawl, it sounds nice to me!

"The staff that we've got is second to none. Great people. Great at their jobs. As a coaching staff, I think we're getting better. We're learning about each other more. We're getting more cohesive and getting better as well. It's not just the players.

"You know that I love this. There's all sorts of stuff that needs to be talked about. I've no doubt."

With four wins from five games, the Triple Crown retained and 35 players used across the tournament, there were plenty of positives from Ireland's Six Nations campaign, despite the fact they fell agonisingly short in their quest to win the championship.

The focus for Farrell, aside from his future, is already starting to turn to how he will prime his squad to peak for the summer and further down the line to next year's Rugby World Cup.

In Farrell's view, the planning starts with players going back to their provinces and replicating their international form from the impressive wins over England and Scotland on the club stage for the remainder of the season.

He believes that is the easiest way for them to guarantee a place in the squad for the summer's inaugural Nations Championship, where Ireland will take on Australia, Japan and New Zealand, which will act as good preparation for the World Cup.

"We'll see what the momentum is when the lads go back to their provinces now," Farrell said.

"People have to grow through this and the lads who have had a sniff of it, it's up to them to keep competing to show they've learned some lessons and everyone is fighting for a seat on the plane.

"You have to understand what we're trying to get to and what we're trying to achieve.

"If you look at it like that, there are five more chances to do it and they come quick and fast."