Andy Farrell: Lions roles will benefit Ireland's progress

Andy Farrell believes that his involvement with the British and Irish Lions this summer, along with several of his Ireland coaching colleagues, will ultimately strengthen the national team rather than weaken it.

Speaking in London after unveiling his full coaching staff for the Lions’ 2025 tour of Australia, Farrell emphasised the long-term benefits of the experience for both individuals and the Ireland setup.

Farrell confirmed that Simon Easterby, Andrew Goodman, and John Fogarty—core members of the Ireland coaching team—will be part of his Lions staff, alongside England's Richard Wigglesworth and Scotland's John Dalziel.

Their participation means Paul O’Connell will step into the role of interim head coach for Ireland’s summer tour to Georgia and Portugal.

Farrell expressed confidence in the leadership O’Connell will provide and downplayed concerns that Ireland's tour would be compromised. Instead, he framed the situation as a valuable opportunity for both coaching and playing groups to evolve in parallel.

“Simon Easterby, Andrew Goodman, and John Fogarty were unveiled in London on Wednesday morning to help head coach Farrell meet his objective of victory over Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies in the nine-game, three-Test tour across July and August alongside England’s Richard Wigglesworth and Scotland’s John Dalziel.”

Easterby will also retain his position as interim head coach of Ireland during the summer tour, having already taken on that role during the 2024/25 Six Nations while Farrell began planning for the Lions.