Stephen Ferris claims that the big coaching changes with Six Nations rivals Wales and England heading into a Rugby World Cup year won't knock Andy Farrell's Ireland off-course in 2023.
Instead, Ferris warns, the biggest obstruction to Ireland's Six Nations success - and making it past a World Cup quarter-final for the first time - is Ireland themselves.
Warren Gatland made a high-profile return to Wales' hot-seat a fortnight ago as Wayne Pivac was let go, while Steve Borthwick left his job with Leicester Tigers to replace Eddie Jones as England head coach yesterday.
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Both Gatland and Borthwick only have weeks to get up to speed ahead of the Six Nations championship, and only nine months to be ready for France 2023.
"Steve Borthwick has coached a lot of those England players before, he's probably not going to change that much in terms of Eddie Jones' regime, what he asks of players," said former Ireland star Ferris.
"He and Borthwick have a good relationship, so they'll talk at length as well.
"Sometimes a different voice answering the media questions differently helps, with England it's all about selection and what players haven't been picked rather than who has.
"He's not going to sit there and, not be as mad as Eddie Jones, but give the media what they want. I don't know if somebody will be brought in alongside him to help with that? Richard Cockerill is there.
Stephen Ferris is part of the Viaplay team - bringing every game live from the BKT United Rugby Championship including all 16 fixtures over the festive period
"It's a good appointment for England, but I was very, very surprised that Eddie Jones was let go with his record at World Cups. Every Irish fan would take him for a World Cup cycle, he'd get them to a semi-final or final.
"It's very surprising, but they'll be happy enough with Borthwick. His job is to get them back on track and I think he's got a bloody good chance to do that."
Ferris played under Warren Gatland on the 2009 British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa.
"If he gets them to a quarter-final that's a job well done. I thought he'd just take it through to the World Cup because that'd be a win-win for him," said the Ulsterman.
"The way he'll get a team operating I'd fully expect them to get to the quarter-final.
Coach Andy Farrell and Head Coach Warren Gatland on Lions tour in 2017 (Image: ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan)
"I've worked under Gats, he's a good delegator, but I'll tell you what, he can get his team up for games.
"It's a very simple game, we all know you can over-complicate things on both sides of the ball. He keeps it very simple, he plays his best team most of the time. I like that."
Ferris added: "Andy Farrell has done that really well and you asked about these coaching changes being a threat to Ireland, I think the only threat to Ireland is themselves.
"If we start to get ahead of ourselves like we did in 2011 when everyone was talking us up as the best team on paper bar a couple of sides in the world, we definitely got ahead of ourselves and didn't turn up against Wales.
"Ireland have the ship sailing in the right direction, it feels different this time.
"You can see it with (Ronan) O'Gara, with Leo Cullen. When the head guy has been a player who only retired relatively recently they have an understanding of how the players are feeling on and off the pitch about stress, injury, travel, being locked up in a hotel all week - he understands it.
"That's why it's different in my mind, why I think Ireland will get to a semi-final even if they've to play France or New Zealand to get there."
Stephen Ferris is part of the Viaplay team - bringing every game live from the BKT United Rugby Championship including all 16 fixtures over the festive period.
Tune into all four URC inter provincial derbies this Christmas and New Year LIVE ON VIAPLAY starting with Connacht v Ulster on Friday 23 December from 7.35pm plus Munster v Leinster on St Stephen's Day live from 7.35pm. Then on New Year’s Day watch Irish rugby derbies back-to-back as Ulster host Munster at Kingspan on Sunday January 1 st from 5.15pm followed by Leinster v Connacht at 7.35pm.
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