The IRFU confirmed today that Leinster's backs coach, Andrew Goodman, will replace the outgoing Mike Catt in the role. Goodman is set to join the Irish Men’s National Team at the end of the current season until 2027.
Goodman, a former New Zealand rugby union player, played for and captained the Tasman Mako in the National Provincial Championship during his career. He also played for Leinster.
On the coaching side, the Kiwi has been Leinster's assistant coach since June 2022. Goodman also worked in the NPC with Tasman Mako and then with the Crusaders, helping them lift the Super Rugby title in the early months of 2022. More recently, he was part of Samoa’s coaching team at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.
Catt, who has held the role Goodman will soon step into since 2020, will return to England next summer after Ireland's tour of South Africa.
Goodman, speaking on the move today, thanked Leinster Head Coach Leo Cullen, the staff, players, and everyone involved in his short and brief Leinster coaching career.
“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. 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," Goodman said.
🗣️ We're pleased to announce that Andrew Goodman will join the Ireland Men's Coaching Team as Backs Coach at the end of the current campaign.#TeamOfUs
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) December 21, 2023
The Nelson native also admitted that the move to a higher grade was a tough decision to make, but he also claimed that the ability to work with some of the best in the business was something that he wanted to do again. This was something that he couldn't turn down when presented with the opportunity.
“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," he added.
“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 date, but until then, I want to continue doing my best for this club, this group of players, and the supporters that we have."
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