Lions Tour 2025: Is Andy Farrell’s coaching selection a bad thing for Ireland?

Andy Farrell will bring three Irish coaches with him for the upcoming Lions tour

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Richard Wigglesworth, England, Simon Easterby, Ireland, Andy Farrell, the British and Irish Lions head coach, John Dalziel, Scotland, Andrew Goodman, Ireland and John Fogarty of Ireland pose during British & Irish Lions Coaching Announcement at Canterbury Offices on March 26, 2025 in London, England. Photograph: David Rogers/Getty Images
Richard Wigglesworth, England, Simon Easterby, Ireland, Andy Farrell, the British and Irish Lions head coach, John Dalziel, Scotland, Andrew Goodman, Ireland and John Fogarty of Ireland pose during British & Irish Lions Coaching Announcement at Canterbury Offices on March 26, 2025 in London, England. Photograph: David Rogers/Getty Images

On Wednesday, Andy Farrell confirmed three Irish coaches would be his assistants for the upcoming Lions tour. Simon Easterby, John Fogarty and Andrew Goodman join England’s Richard Wigglesworth and Scotland’s John Dalziel on the coaching ticket.

The launch event was impressive in parts, a reminder of the corporate behemoth the Lions has become. But does this commercial standing come at the cost of the Lions ethos?

John O’Sullivan joins Nathan Johns - who attended the launch event in London - to discuss the place of the Lions in modern rugby.

Plus, with only Paul O’Connell remaining on the Irish ticket for this summer’s tour of Portugal and Georgia, does the Lions tour deprive Ireland of their key coaches ahead of an important tour for a side in transition? Or, is the opportunity for coach development too good to pass up? We hear from Andy Farrell himself, as well as other Irish coaches who will be travelling down under.

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Produced by John Casey.