Scotland forwards coach John Dalziel and England senior coach Richard Wigglesworth have been confirmed as part of the British and Irish Lions coaching set-up to take on Australia this summer.
Head coach Andy Farrell’s staff draws most heavily from the Ireland set-up that he has left on secondment to lead the tourists.
Simon Easterby, who served as Ireland’s interim head coach for this year’s Six Nations, is joined by attack guru Andrew Goodman and scrum specialist John Fogarty.
There is no Welsh representation among the coaching staff however with Farrell opting against hiring Neil Jenkins, who has aided the Lions on four previous tours as a kicking coach.
It is the first time since 2001, when New Zealander Graham Henry took a break from his job with Wales to lead the Lions in Australia, that there is no Welshman among the Lions coaches.
Shaun Edwards, who played rugby league alongside Farrell at Wigan and most recently oversaw defence for France’s victorious Six Nations campaign, had previously said he would “swim” to Australia to be part of the Lions tour., external
However, he is instead committed to France, who tour New Zealand for a three-Test series this summer.
“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,” said Farrell.
“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.”
Ex-England scrum-half Wigglesworth, who coached his country to a second-place Six Nations finish this month, said: “Proud is probably an understatement to how I am feeling right now.
“I never got to play with Andy, but he was my coach at Saracens and England so I know his calibre and I am thoroughly looking forward to working with him.”
Dalziel, who has been Scotland forwards coach since 2020, added: “It’s a huge honour and I am massively thankful for the opportunity. It’s a real pinch-yourself moment.
“Even from our first meeting as coaches you could feel the energy in the room and it is hugely exciting to work with these guys.”
Welsh strength and conditioning expert Aled Walters was confirmed as part of the Lions’ wider support staff in January, along with analyst Vinny Hammond, who works alongside Walters in the Ireland camp.
David Nucifora, who was named as the Lions’ performance manager at the same time, worked with Ireland for a decade before taking on a role with Scotland in 2024.
Easterby said that the draw of working with a unique set of players convinced him to accept Farrell’s invitiation, rather than stay on with Ireland for their summer fixtures, expected to be against Georgia and Portugal.
“To tour as a player and now as a coach, knowing the group of players that we have the potential of working with, is something that I can’t wait to get stuck into,” he said.
“A Lions tour also gives you the opportunity to work with people you haven’t before.”
Farrell will pick his playing squad on 8 May and the Lions will play Argentina in Dublin on 20 June, before their first game on Australian soil against Western Force on 28 June.
The first Test against the Wallabies will take place on 19 July in Brisbane, with the series continuing in Melbourne and Sydney over the following two weeks.
The Wallabies are ranked eighth in the world, below Ireland, England and Scotland.
However, they claimed an impressive victory over England at Twickenham during their recent autumn tour of the northern hemisphere and their four regional sides made a strong start to their Super Rugby Pacific campaigns.
Tickets for the series have sold fast with more than 500,000 people expected to watch the nine matches across six Australian cities. The second Test in Melbourne, staged at the MCG, is likely to be the largest ever crowd for a Lions Test with the venue capable of holding more than 100,000 spectators.
Lions CEO confirms interest in possible France fixture
The Lions are reportedly exploring the possibility of playing warm-up matches against France before their women’s and men’s side tour New Zealand in 2027 and 2029., external
The Lions have faced France only once before, crossing the Channel for a 1989 fixture that commemorated the bicentenary of the French Revolution.
“I saw that speculation in the press this morning, and it is probably not right for me to comment on specific details,” Lions chief executive Ben Calveley told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“But what I would say is that we, the Lions, have a really strong relationship with the countries we have toured historically, but we are very interested in broadening that footprint and building a relationship in new territories.
“That’s part of the reason why we are playing Argentina this time around, we played against Japan before we toured South Africa four years ago.
“So these sorts of opportunities are really interesting to us.”
