Stuart Lancaster to speak to Andy Farrell about Ireland coaching role

Stuart Lancaster plans to speak to Andy Farrell about a possible coaching reunion with Ireland.

Both have revived their careers in Ireland following England's failure to qualify from their pool at the 2015 World Cup, with Lancaster helping Leinster claim a Champions Cup and PRO14 double last season, while Farrell will succeed Joe Schmidt as Ireland head coach after next year's World Cup.

Lancaster is in talks with Leinster over extending his contract, which expires at the end of the season, but he is open to a conversation with Farrell, who was his assistant with England for four years before a similar stint under Schmidt.

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"It's up to Andy to build his coaching team," Lancaster said.

"The reality is he needs it to be ready by January 2020. I've not caught up with him since the announcement, I will do soon I'm sure and it will be up to him to shape that. I'll have that conversation.

"He's the right man for the job in my opinion. When Joe announced he was going there was only one person I felt was qualified to do the job and that was Andy.

"He's sat as an assistant coach for eight years now. When you're sat in that assistant coaching role you can learn a lot about what you would do when you get your chance and Andy has got the opportunity."

Lancaster had been linked with Bath as well as England, with RFU interim chief executive Nigel Melville refusing to rule out the 49-year-old as a successor to Eddie Jones.

"I was contracted in 2015 right through to 2019 as England coach and that didn't obviously transpire through what happened in the World Cup," Lancaster added.

"So as a consequence, I've given up planning too far ahead now, I'm going to concentrate on the here and now.

"Obviously, there's a situation that I'm out of contract at the end of this year but I'm certainly not going ahead trying to plan the next five years of my career.

"I'm much more exercised in doing a really good job with Leinster, coaching as best as I can, and Leinster being successful."