The British & Irish Lions have appointed five assistant coaches for their tour of Australia in July and August.
Simon Easterby, John Fogarty and Andrew Goodman (all from Ireland), Richard Wigglesworth (England) and John Dalziel (Scotland) will all work under head coach Andy Farrell. There is no Wales coaching representative.
Easterby was Ireland’s interim head coach in Farrell’s absence during the recent Six Nations having previously worked as their defence coach, Fogarty is Ireland’s scrum coach while New Zealander Goodman has been their attack coach since November.
Wigglesworth had previously been in charge of England’s defence but now also focuses on kicking strategy, and Dalziel is Scotland’s forwards coach.
None of the five have previous experience of touring with the Lions.
“This is a special day for the British & Irish Lions and our five new assistant coaches who came together yesterday for the very first time,” said Farrell.
“Putting together a Lions coaching team is an honour and a privilege – and the five phone calls made to this group of coaches reminds you just how special and unique it is.
“This coaching group has versatility and are interchangeable in their skillset, which is a vital asset to have on a Lions tour.
“I think we have a fantastic mix and every one of these guys will bring their own character and personality to the team.
“A Lions tour is all about understanding the demands that we will face on and off the pitch and a fresh perspective amongst this coaching group is something that I am really excited by.
“We now have a month and a half to come together and select players ahead of an historic squad announcement [on 8 May] at The O2 in front of our Lions fans.”
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Lions 2025 schedule:
Saturday 28 June: vs Western Force, Optus Stadium, Perth
Wednesday 2 July: vs Queensland Reds, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Saturday 5 July: vs New South Wales Waratahs, Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Wednesday 9 July: vs ACT Brumbies, GIO Stadium, Canberra
Saturday 12 July: vs Invitational Australian and New Zealand XV, Adelaide Oval
Saturday 19 July: vs Wallabies, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Tuesday 22 July: vs Melbourne Rebels, Marvel Stadium, Melbourne
Saturday 26 July: vs Wallabies, Melbourne Cricket Ground
Saturday 2 August: vs Wallabies, Stadium Australia, Sydney
Photo: @lionsofficial/X
