Andy Farrell will turn to an Ireland-dominated Lions coaching team, Telegraph Sport understands, with no England assistants likely to make the tour to Australia.
Former Lions captain Paul O’Connell and John Fogarty are the leading contenders for the roles of forwards and scrum coaches respectively, while Johnny Sexton is in the running to become attack coach.
The former Ireland fly-half came on board with the Irish set-up in a part-time coaching and mentoring role in the autumn, focusing on the fly-halves, while Andrew Goodman is the Ireland attack coach.
Sources have indicated to Telegraph Sport that Farrell will rely on his tried and trusted lieutenants in the Ireland set-up despite their underwhelming finish to the Six Nations Championship. Contracts will be finalised this coming week with Farrell formally unveiling his coaching team for the three-Test Lions series against the Wallabies on March 26.
The role of Lions defence coach remains up for grabs. Simon Easterby fills that role under Farrell but his commitments as Ireland interim head coach are likely to preclude him from going to Australia with Ireland having a summer tour to Georgia and Portugal this summer. O’Connell is a possible alternative should Easterby receive a summons.
Scotland defence coach Steve Tandy was the Lions defence coach on the 2021 tour to South Africa and received excellent feedback from the squad. It is understood that France Rugby is not willing to release Farrell’s former Wigan team-mate Shaun Edwards, who said that he would swim to Australia, with the Six Nations champions set to tour New Zealand this summer.
Despite claiming the Triple Crown, Ireland finished below England, who scored more points and conceded fewer points than the other home nations. Attack coach Richard Wigglesworth was a team-mate of Farrell’s during their Saracens playing days, but England head coach Steve Borthwick indicated he did not expect any of his immediate team to be going to Australia.
“Andy hasn’t talked about any of the coaching team at this stage,” Borthwick said. “I’d love them to have the opportunity. I’d love as many of the management team as possible to have that. That Lions experience I had in 2017 was one of the best, if not the best, experience I’ve had in my life. Working with the best players from four different countries, working with incredible coaches against top-class opposition. I developed and learned so much as a coach in that period, it was brilliant for me and accelerated my coaching, so I’d love as many other people from the England group to be in there as possible, and I’ll be fully supportive of them all.”
It is understood that there will be a greater English representation in the wider backroom team even with Aled Walters, David Nucifora and Vinny Hammond on board already as head of athletic performance, general manager and head of analysis respectively.
It is not uncommon for Lions head coaches to rely upon familiar faces. On the 2021 tour, Warren Gatland turned to Wales assistants Robin McBryde and Rob Howley as well as Welshman Steve Tandy. However, it is understood Gatland did not see eye to eye with Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend, who was brought in as attack coach, emphasising the importance of alignment within the brains trust.
As the Lions chief executive Ben Calveley told Telegraph Sport last summer, Farrell has been given completely free rein to pick any coach or player he wants without needing to ensure a balanced representation of the four home nations. “It will be absolutely merit-based, this is about being the ‘best of the best’ and we have to fiercely protect that,” Calveley said. “Things like quotas would not be in line with that mentality.”
That applies to players too and Farrell was present in Cardiff to witness England run riot in their record 68-14 defeat of Wales. Borthwick is hoping that England could be set for a bumper representation when Farrell announces his squad on May 8 with players such as Ben Curry, Will Stuart and Fin Smith putting themselves in the frame having started the Championship as outside shots.
“I think it’s an exciting time because we want as many of our England players on the Lions tour as possible,” Borthwick said. “The good thing here is, Andy’s got some great headaches on it. He’s got some brilliantly tough decisions to make because there’s so many good players around. But it would benefit English rugby to have as many on that Lions tour as possible.
“I have done the exercise about 10 times, where I’ve sat there and written out which players I think will go – and I end up with a different number each time, because it depends on who’s playing well. Ollie Lawrence was one of those, so I was really disappointed for him that he’s not going to have that opportunity on this Lions tour. I just want as many as possible, and hopefully, hopefully, there aren’t any more injuries to any players.”
Should a sizeable English contingent be selected then that would open opportunities for other players to step up with England facing fixtures against a France XV, Argentina and the USA this summer. That could include Racing 92 winger Henry Arundell, who is available for selection again after signing for Bath, while Borthwick challenged those on the fringes of the main squad to keep knocking on the door.
“We’ve got our players outside that squad, ringing me in, texting me, wanting opportunities, and so there will be opportunities for those players,” Borthwick said. “What I’d say to them is play super well for their clubs between now and the end of the season.
“My coaches will start planning on Thursday this week about the eventualities if a player leaves for the Lions, so we have two players in every position where you have that depth. And so those players will need to play super well for their clubs, and now push the case for selection.”
