New Headline: Andy Farrell Predicts Ireland vs France to Be a Must-See Six Nations Showdown

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell has indicated that discussions regarding his long-term future with the national team are "not too far away". The Englishman guided Ireland to a fourth Triple Crown in five years following a commanding 43-21 victory over Scotland on Saturday afternoon. However, his team suffered heartbreak later that day as they fell agonisingly short of winning a third Six Nations title under his leadership after France retained the trophy with a last-minute penalty to secure a 48-46 win over England.

Farrell, 50, who took up his current post in 2019, is contracted with the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) until the conclusion of next year’s World Cup in Australia. Reports last month linked him with a potential move to Gallagher Premiership club Saracens once his existing deal expires, claims he swiftly dismissed as "people putting two and two together and making five". Addressing the speculation, Farrell confirmed: "I will have a conversation (with the IRFU), we’ve already spoken about having a conversation.

That won’t be too far away, so we’ll see how that goes. " When pressed on his desire to remain beyond his current contract, he added: "You know that I love this. There’s all sorts of stuff that needs to be talked about, I’ve no doubt.

" Farrell’s team won the Triple Crown but missed out on the Six Nations title (Getty Images) Ireland are set to return to action in July with a challenging series of fixtures against Australia, Japan, and New Zealand as part of the inaugural Nations Championship. Having utilised 35 players during the recent Six Nations campaign, Farrell is keen for individuals to be "fighting for a seat on the plane" for the upcoming summer tour. "We’ll see what the momentum is with the lads going back to their provinces now," he stated.