Andy Farrell, the head coach of the British & Irish Lions, is set to reveal his coaching staff for this summer’s tour in Australia. The official announcement will be made on Wednesday morning.
Simon Easterby, who currently serves as the acting head coach for Ireland, is expected to be officially appointed as the defense coach for the top-tier squad. In this setup, John Fogarty will assume the position of scrum coach, while Englishman Richard Wigglesworth will join the team along with the rest of the Irish staff.
Easterby Filled in the gap created by Farrell, who took a sabbatical year with the Lions, guiding Ireland securing a third-place result in the Six Nations Championship.
Ireland-heavy backroom team
Following an underwhelming season, he will transition into the Lions' coaching staff alongside his previous position as an assistant. British & Irish Lion Paul O'Connell, the Ireland international, will step in as the temporary head coach for the country's summer fixtures against Georgia and Portugal.
Even though Ireland didn’t perform well in the Six Nations, you can’t dispute that this coaching team hasn’t had success at the Test level, having won the Grand Slam in 2023 and achieving the top spot globally.
Easterby has been included as part of Farrell Since 2019, he has been part of Ireland's coaching staff, transitioning from a forward coach to a defensive coach in 2021. Together, they have guided the team through some of their most impressive displays.
Furthermore, he boasts British & Irish Lions tour experience from his time as a player during the 2005 trip to New Zealand. He joined the squad to replace Lawrence Dallaglio and participated in two Test matches, crossing the try line in the second game held in Wellington.
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Prior to his time as the Irish scrum coach, Fogarty served in the same capacity for Leinster starting in 2015. Additionally, Easterby secured one appearance for Ireland in 2010 and represented his country wearing the green jersey during a match against the All Blacks.
Last week, when questioned regarding Easterby and Fogarty’s involvement in the coaching staff, the IRFU was requested for their input, but a representative responded saying: "Currently, we do not have any comments to provide."
But The Irish Times It has been reported that both will be officially confirmed at Farrell’s press conference in London on Wednesday morning.
Wigglesworth to be named
BBC Sport have reported that England head coach Steve Borthwick was approached regarding the availability of Wigglesworth And appears to have endorsed the proposal, with his most recent role being added to his quickly expanding resume after retiring from the Leicester Tigers in 2022.
Before his reported inclusion, Ireland appeared to set the tone for the 2025 tour, starting with the match against Argentina in Dublin on June 20. The other home nations might hope this isn’t just another Irish affair when the Lions squad is unveiled at London’s O2 Arena on May 8, with space for up to 2000 spectators.
The squad will then travel down under to Australia where they will play nine fixtures including three blockbuster Test matches against the Wallabies in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.
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