Andrew David Farrell, (born 30 May 1975) is former rugby league and later rugby union player and a former coach for the England national rugby team. He is the current head coach for Ireland, beginning after the 2019 World Cup. He is the father of England rugby union player and captain Owen Farrell. A dual-code international, Farrell was a goal-kicking in rugby league. He captained Great Britain, and his club, Wigan Warriors. Farrell made 34 appearances for Great Britain and represented England in two World Cups. He won six Championships and four Challenge Cups with Wigan, as well as numerous individual awards between 1991 and 2004. In rugby union, he played for Saracens from 2005 to 2009 and won eight caps for England, including playing in the 2007 World Cup. After retiring as a player, Farrell continued in rugby union as a coach, working as an assistant coach with Saracens and Munster, as well as England, Ireland and the British and Irish Lions. He took the Irish Rugby Union team to a 2–1 series victory against New Zealand in 2022. Playing career Rugby league 1990s Farrell was born in Wigan, Greater Manchester and first played rugby league at age 10 at a summer camp run by Graeme West, Wigan Warriors' captain at the time. Farrell is of Irish descent. After developing with local club Orrell St James, he made his first-team début for his hometown club Wigan at the age of 16 in 32–8 victory over Keighley in the 1991–92 Regal Trophy match at Central Park, Wigan on Sunday 24 November 1991. Also that year his son Owen Farrell was born, who also went on to become a professional rugby union player. Farrell became the youngest player to win a Challenge Cup Final in 1993 when at 17 years and 11 months he came on as a substitute against Widnes. He then became a full international by the age of 18, making his début against New Zealand later in 1993. After the 1993–94 Rugby Football League season, during which he scored a try in Wigan's Challenge Cup Final victory, Farrell travelled with his club to Brisbane and played as a in their 1994 World Club Challenge victory over Australian premiers, the Brisbane Broncos. He rates this as one of his greatest achievements in rugby league. Farrell was selected to play for Great Britain against Australia in all three Ashes Tests