Ireland beat All Blacks to attack guru’s signature replacing Mike Catt

The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) have announced the appointment of Mike Catt’s successor as Ireland’s backs coach.

Catt is set to vacate the role after the July internationals, and the IRFU have moved to secure the services of Andrew Goodman until the end of the 2027 season.

Andrew Goodman joins Ireland’s coaching staff

Goodman is currently an assistant coach under Leo Cullen at Leinster but will leave the role at the end of the season to join Andy Farrell’s Ireland coaching team.

Goodman started his professional coaching career in New Zealand, where he worked with NPC side Tasman Makos before joining Scott Robertson’s Crusaders coaching team, winning a Super Rugby title in 2022.

He returned to Ireland, linking up with the side he won a Celtic League and Challenge Cup during his playing days as a fly-half and centre and has also recently worked with the Samoan national team.

Reports linked Goodman with a role in Robertson’s All Blacks coaching team next year, but the IRFU have moved to secure his services.

“This has obviously been a very difficult decision to make in one way because I have loved coming back to Leinster. A team that I loved playing with and a team that I love coaching,” Goodman said.

“I’d like to thank Leo for the opportunity to come back and to make Dublin our family home, and I’d like to thank the players, the coaches, the staff and everyone based in UCD, for the welcome they have given myself, Nina and the kids.

“The opportunity to test yourself at the very highest level is something that I have loved doing with Samoa in the last few years, and now this challenge has come up with Ireland, and it’s one that I am hugely excited about.”

A wealth of experience

“It’s a chance to work with one of the best teams in the world and to work with some of the best coaches and players in the world and it was one that I couldn’t turn down.

“I look forward to getting stuck into that when the time is right and building on the great work that Andy Farrell and the other coaches have done to now, but until then, I want to continue doing my best for this club and this group of players and the supporters that we have.”

IRFU Performance Director David Nucifora added: “It was clear from the recruitment process that Andrew was a high-calibre candidate and we are delighted that he will continue his journey in Irish rugby over the coming years.

“He brings a wealth of experience of the Irish and international systems and has packed a significant amount into a relatively young coaching career. His familiarity with the existing system here, coupled with his knowledge of the global game, will greatly add to our environment.”

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