A long list of “about 75” players has been drawn up by the British & Irish Lions for the upcoming tour of Australia, head coach Andy Farrell said Wednesday, after he presented his Ireland-heavy backroom staff for the trip Down Under.
Farrell, whose full-time job is Ireland coach, will bring three of his staff from the Irish setup — defense coach Simon Easterby, New Zealand-born backs coach Andrew Goodman and scrum coach John Fogarty. Joining them will be Scotland forwards coach John Dalziel and England attack coach Richard Wigglesworth.
The five assistants were unveiled at an event in London, having gathered together with Farrell for the first time on Tuesday to start building the squad for the nine-game tour starting in June.
“We came up with about 75 men or something like that," Farrell said. "Every single one of them deserves to be on that list.
“There’s going to be a hell of a lot of good players who don’t make the plane and that’s exactly where we want to be."
The Lions squad will be announced on May 8 in front of a live audience, with players eligible from Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England.
The Welsh contingent might be low, given the national team is currently on a record 17-match losing run in tests, and perhaps tellingly there was no Wales representation among the coaching staff.
At this stage, no set roles have been assigned to the five assistants, none of whom have previous Lions coaching experience.
“Putting together a Lions coaching team is an honor and a privilege, and the five phone calls made to this group of coaches reminds you just how special and unique it is,” Farrell said.
“This coaching group has versatility and are interchangeable in their skill set, which is a vital asset to have on a Lions tour. I think we have a fantastic mix."
The Lions visit Australia every 12 years, as part of a cycle of southern-hemisphere tours that also include series in South Africa and New Zealand.
The 2025 tour kicks off against the Western Force in Perth on June 28 and includes three test matches against Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies.
___
AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby
Steve Douglas, The Associated Press
