The IRFU has been on a bit of a festive splurge of late. Andrew Porter, Tadhg Furlong, James Ryan and Bundee Aki have all signed central contract extensions in recent days.
The services of Porter and Furlong have both been retained until the 2027 World Cup.
Neither was deemed significant flight risks although there were reports of a big-money offer from Bayonne to land Furlong a few months ago.
17 March 2018; Tadhg Furlong of Ireland and Aine Lacey celebrate after the NatWest Six Nations Rugby Championship match between England and Ireland at Twickenham Stadium in London, England. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
The lure of pursuing another World Cup on Andy Farrell’s watch has been a powerful bargaining chip in these recent contract negotiations clearly.
This squad under-achieved at the 2023 edition and there is a collective will to make up for some unfinished business at the next one in Australia.
It’s the same reason why Ryan, who is now contracted until the end of the 2027/28 campaign, and Aki have also put pen to paper recently.
In Aki’s case, the Connacht centre is being given an opportunity to prove his worth in the seasons ahead. The New Zealand-born midfielder will be 36 when his latest deal expires at the end of the 2026 season, but if Aki is still delivering big performances, he will be in the mix for fresh one-year extension.
Bundee Aki. Pic Harry Murphy/Sportsfile
Farrell still values his input and there is a lot credit in the national team bank.
Ensuring the best players are kept on board for Ireland’s next World Cup bid is a top priority for the IRFU performance director David Humphreys and Farrell at the moment.
Dan Sheehan, who is set to return from his ACL injury in the early stages of 2025, is signed up until 2027. Caelan Doris, too.
The next bit of business will be securing Tadhg Beirne, Josh van der Flier, Robbie Henshaw and Garry Ringrose on new deals, with that key quartet all out of contract across the next 12 to 18 months.
Henry Slade of England is tackled by Robbie Henshaw of Ireland during the Guinness Six Nations Rugby Championship match between England and Ireland at Twickenham Stadium in London, England. Pic: Harry Murphy/Sportsfile
Iain Henderson’s current deal with the IRFU expires at the end of this campaign. It remains to be seen if the veteran Ulster lock gets the green light on a new national contract.
He remains a valued squad member, and may find himself on a provincial deal, which is being topped up by IRFU funds.
Peter O’Mahony and Conor Murray signed similar deals recently after the Munster pair officially came off the IRFU payroll.
Curiously, Jamison Gibson-Park is still on a Leinster contract. That will surely change in the near future. The scrumhalf has become an integral part of Farrell’s line-up since he was thrust into the starting line-up during that transformative autumn series campaign in 2021.
It surely won’t be long until Gibson-Park is signed up on one of these IRFU deals.
Ireland’s Tadhg Furlong and Jamison Gibson-Park celebrate with the 6N trophy. Pic: INPHO/Dan Sheridan
Joe McCarthy, Jack Crowley and Mack Hansen may be the next cabs off this national ramp.
McCarthy may move up to a national plan, at Henderson’s expense, while Hansen, who is out of contract at the end of the season has become another key figure in Farrell’s plans. The Connacht wing will not be short of suitors abroad and the IRFU will be keen to nail down another prized asset.
Hansen himself is a big fan of this central contract system having seen Australia – where he grew up – lose so many players to foreign leagues.
‘I think it’s a really smart way, the way they’ve nailed it,’ Hansen noted earlier this year.
‘Rugby Australia kind of tops them [contracts] up but it doesn’t really give them as much of an incentive, especially with the tax back and stuff here in Ireland as well.
Autumn Nations Series, Aviva Stadium, Dublin 8/11/2024 Ireland vs New Zealand Ireland’s Mack Hansen. Pic: INPHO/Dan Sheridan
‘They’ve just nailed it. I think the system is just the best I’ve seen at keeping players like this. So many guys stay because it just makes more sense.’
The 26-year-old could find himself signing one of these deals in the not-too-distant future.
Prior to November, Crowley was widely tipped to move onto a national contract. But a recent slump in form and the emergence of Sam Prendergast as a viable Test option has muddied the contract waters slightly.
The Munster out-half is also out of contract in the summer and it is imperative, for club and country, that Crowley is locked in.
He will surely stay put but Ben Healy and Joey Carbery have been lured away from Thomond Park in the past. Ronan O’Gara was upfront about his ambitions of bringing Crowley to La Rochelle.
It would make sense for all parties if Crowley was moved up onto an IRFU deal soon. His clubmate Craig Casey will remain part of the Munster setup until 2027.
Jacob Stockdale has been linked with Lyon and Racing 92. At 27, the Ulster wing is at something of a crossroads. Perhaps a few years in the Top14 might be the mid-career spark he desperately needs?
Of maybe the next World Cup will keep him at home. That’s Ireland’s focus now and Farrell has already made great headway in ensuring the spine of his squad will be ready for the next big assignment Down Under in a few years’ time.
When you add in young guns such as Prendergast, Gus McCarthy, Cormac Izuchukwu, Brian Gleeson, Ben Murphy, Hugh Gavin and Jamie Osborne, there is the nucleus a serious squad in 2027. That’s good business all round.
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