IRFU performance director David Nucifora says it was vital they locked their "sought after" head coach Andy Farrell into a new contract, adding that they would fully back Farrell to become head coach of the British and Irish Lions in 2025.
Farrell has agreed a new contract until the end of the 2027 Rugby World Cup, and is the frontrunner to lead the Lions on their 2025 tour of Australia.
Should that happen, the Englishman would have to take a sabbatical from his Irish role, just as Warren Gatland did while coaching Wales in 2013 and 2017.
And Nucifora says they won't stand in Farrell's way if he's offered the position.
"We'd be ecstatic if Andy was named coach of the Lions so hopefully that accolade is the next one for him and we’d be more than comfortable with how deal with it," Nucifora said at a press briefing on Thursday.
"As far as the period of time he might be away from us, that’s still something I think can be discussed if this happens."
The Ireland head coach had been under contract until 2025, with his new deal ensuring he'll remain in charge for another World Cup cycle.
Farrell (below) has enjoyed enormous success in recent seasons, masterminding Ireland's series win in New Zealand in 2022, as well their Six Nations Grand Slam in 2023, before being named as World Rugby's Coach of the Year last month.
"Andy's loved his time here. Obviously he’s a very sought-after coach on the world scene," Nucifora added.
"He’s loved his time, he’s loved working here, a great working environment that we have, the people we’ve got in that, so it was a reasonably smooth process to extend the contract.
"It's great news for Irish rugby, the fact that Andy Farrell has signed an extension through to the end of the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
"Obviously Andy has proven himself to be a world class coach and has done an outstanding coach after he took over after the 2019 World Cup.
"I think for Irish rugby, the continuity that he'll bring over the next four years gives a stability and certainty to build on the established platforms that are already there, so we're really fortunate and excited that it's going to continue on. It's great news all round."
The Australian is currently putting the final touches on the IRFU's review into their Rugby World Cup campaign, which ended in familiar disappointment after a quarter-final defeat to New Zealand.
However, he says there is unlikely to be a silver bullet in the findings.
"It's not going to be an earth-shattering document that will give the answer as to why we didn't beat New Zealand in the quarter-final, I don't think there's anything there that systematically will tell us why we didn't win that game.
"We're all massively disappointed that it ended the way it did. Right up to the point, deep into those 30-plus phases, I was still really confident we were going to get over the line and win that game, but it didn't pan out that way.
"There's going to be small things that come out of the report that give us an indicator about what we can be working in going forward, but largely our reviews can often show us that we're actually on the right track."
While the union have secured the services of Farrell for another World Cup cycle, there will be one change to the coaching ticket in 2024, with attack coach Mike Catt departing after the summer tour of South Africa next year.
And Nucifora - who is also due to leave his role next summer - says they're close to reaching an agreement with Catt's potential replacement, with an announcement expected in the next few weeks.
"Mike's made the decision that his family has moved back to England, and I want to thank Mike for the work and the way he's gone about his job over the last four years. He's been an unbelievable contributor to Irish rugby and we're going to be sad to see him move on.
"Continuity is really important but in the international game, you've always got to be looking at how you evolve. I think that’s one of the things that the team’s done really well, the coaching staff have done well in the last four years.
"We’ve evolved the way that we play so even though it’s disappointing to see Mike leave, the decisions we make will be for someone who has the ability to help us evolve our game further.
"Not just in attack but in all facets because the professional game moves at such a pace these days and if you want to stay up or near the top you’ve got to stay ahead of the game with how you approach it."
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