Simon Easterby may still be a name on Wales’ coaching wishlist, but he has underlined his commitment to Ireland.
The 49-year-old, who lives in Swansea and has deep ties to Welsh rugby through his time as a player and coach at the Scarlets, has been heavily linked to the role following Warren Gatland’s departure.
Easterby, currently serving as Ireland’s interim head coach while Andy Farrell prepares for the British and Irish Lions tour, guided the team to a strong Six Nations campaign.
Under his leadership, Ireland secured four victories from five matches, clinching a Triple Crown in the process, although he was unable to deliver a third successive title.
He is expected to continue overseeing the squad for their summer fixtures against Georgia and Portugal, though rumors suggest he could instead join Farrell in Australia as part of the Lions coaching staff.
But despite speculation linking him to Wales, Easterby has been quick to dismiss any notion of a move to replace Gatland.
“I’m committed,” he affirmed. “I think when your name gets bandied around, that’s all it is, it’s just speculation.
“If I’d been contacted I’d tell you, but I haven’t. So, that’s the way it is at the moment.
“I love what I do. I’m very fortunate and it might be 15 minutes up the road (the Wales job) but I just feel very fortunate that I get the experiences I get to do this while Faz (Farrell) is away.
“I get to work with great people and how important that is. I’m pretty happy where I am.”
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Wales endured a torrid Six Nations campaign, finishing without a win and claiming a second consecutive wooden spoon.
Gatland’s tenure came to an abrupt end after two matches, following a dismal start that included a scoreless performance in Paris and a loss to Italy in Rome.
Cardiff’s Matt Sherratt stepped in as interim boss, and while there were signs of improvement, the losing streak - that is now up to 17 matches - continued.
Ireland, meanwhile, began the championship in fine form, defeating England, Scotland, and Wales in their first three games.
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However, their Grand Slam ambitions were dashed by a heavy 42-27 home defeat to eventual champions France. A narrow 22-17 victory over Italy in Rome secured third place, but Easterby refused to label the campaign an anticlimax.
“When you lose the second to last game, it probably feels that way but if you lose the first game and you win the next four, it feels different,” he explained.
“It’s just the nature of losing at home last week in a performance which we know we should have been better at.
“I guess we set out to do what we could to get five points (on Saturday). We could have got three or four more other tries and we didn’t.”
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Easterby’s reputation as a coach has grown steadily since joining Ireland’s backroom team in 2014, first as forwards coach before transitioning to the role of defence coach in 2021.
His impressive credentials have inevitably led to discussions about his future in a head coaching role, and while he remains focused on Ireland, the links to Wales persist.
