Johnny Sexton's presence in the Ireland camp is benefitting the coaches as well as the players, according to Simon Easterby.
Former Ireland flanker Easterby is in temporary charge of the defending Guinness Six Nations champions with Andy Farrell on Lions duty until after the summer tour of Australia.
The interim boss, who has been an assistant with the national team since 2014, has former Ireland and Lions skipper Paul O’Connell as forwards coach, and former Leinster players John Fogarty and Andrew Goodman as scrum and backs coaches, respectively.
Sexton, a former World Rugby player of the year who retired following the World Cup in 2023, joined the set-up as a consultant during the November internationals and continues in the role for the championship, which starts for Ireland against England in Dublin tomorrow (4.45pm).
His primary brief is as a mentor to the three out-halves, Sam Prendergast, Jack Crowley and Ciarán Frawley, but such is his experience and aura, it’s only natural that all involved are able to get something out of his presence.
"I think any group that would have somebody like Johnny around would benefit," said Easterby after naming his side to face England.
"He’s been excellent in just those little conversations around different pressure points that might come in the game that players in the position he played in would have felt.
"And unless you played in that position it’s probably hard to always try and reflect, and try and give advice to people.
"He also has a really good way about him in terms of seeing the game in the bigger picture.
"He, as a 10, would know that it’s important that he sees stuff but also that other people around him also see stuff and that it’s not just him on his own.
"That, again, has been something that other players have developed that feel of supporting our 10s in the way they play the game.
"So, Johnny has hopefully really enjoyed the experience so far.
"He’s still on that learning curve as a coach and a mentor and it’s been a really added benefit for us a coaching group and as a team having him involved."
Easterby (above) won 65 international caps for Ireland and two for the Lions.
He was head coach of the Scarlets between 2012 and 2014 and served in various roles for Ireland since then, including taking two Emerging Ireland squads on tour.
"I've been around a while, 25 years, made my debut in the year Italy joined the Six Nations and the Six Nations formed, so yeah, I feel like I've been around a while, got a few more grey hairs," said the 49-year-old.
"But it's special because not only have I been very fortunate as a player, but also more recently as a coach to have been part of this group for so long and to be part of the progression of Irish rugby and how the players have developed and grown over the years.
"Since 2019, I think the way Faz [Farrell] set out his stall in terms of the way he wanted the team to play, but also the way he wanted the group to feel and connect with each other, I'm a massive believer in that.
"I probably, as a younger coach, didn't always have the same sort of balance in my coaching and feel for that.
"I feel like over a period of time you start to work with different people, you start to generate those other feelings of coaching. It's not just about technical and tactical, there's lots of different ways that you can get the best out of players.
"I feel very privileged to be doing this now, but it's probably been a long time in the process of different experiences that I've had."
The atmosphere at Aviva Stadium has been a topic of discussion since the ground was redeveloped in 2010, and even the last visit of the All Blacks, in November, was not greeted with its usual vigour by the home crowd (below).
Easterby believes tomorrow’s clash has all the ingredients to raise the roof at Lansdowne Road.
"I don’t expect this place to be anything other than bouncing on Saturday," he said.
"It is England at home, first game of the Six Nations, it is so exciting to have this first up.
"This fixture will always create that bit more interest and first up at home in a stadium that the players love playing in.
"When we play well and give the crowd that type of experience on the pitch, they have bought into it and generated a great atmosphere.
"So we have a responsibility as a team to ensure that we get the crowd onside and use that to our advantage."
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