Former Wigan Warriors and Great Britain Rugby League icon Andy Farrell has earned the highest coaching honour available in Rugby Union, as he has been appointed as head coach of the British and Irish Lions ahead of their tour to Australia in 2025.
The current Ireland coach takes the reigns from Warren Gatland, who has coached the Lions on all three tours since 2013, including the series victory in Australia and the drawn series in New Zealand.
Farrell has been on the Lions coaching staff before, working alongside Gatland on the 2013 and 2017 tours; however he will now step into the hot seat after an impressive reign as Ireland boss.
The British and Irish Lions side are regarded as the highest level a Rugby Union player can get to, and sees a collective team of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland players come together to tour one of the Southern Hemisphere nations every four years.
Farrell rose through the ranks at Wigan Warriors, and would go onto make an astonishing 358 appearances for the club in his 13-years in Cherry and White. During his time with the Warriors, he would win seven top flight titles and six Challenge Cup’s. He also represented Great Britain in Rugby League on 34 occasions and England on 11, however he switched codes in 2005.
Farrell joined Rugby Union Premiership side Saracens and would make 28 appearances for the club. He was also selected to play for England in Rugby Union, and won eight caps; however he would quickly go onto become one of the best coaches in the sport.
He took the reigns at Saracens back in 2010 as head coach, but he quickly took the notice of England and was appointed defence coach in 2011. He would make a name for himself as part of the England coaching group, and was appointed as defence coach for the British and Irish Lions last tour of Australia in 2013. He would then be sacked from England following the appointment of Eddie Jones as head coach, however he quickly landed the Ireland defence coach gig.
He again would earn high praise as Ireland’s defensive general, and in 2019 was named the successor to Joe Schmidt and took the position of head coach on the Emerald Isle. Since his appointment, he has overseen a transformation of the men in green, and helped them to a triple crown in successive Six Nations’ and win the coveted Six Nations Grand Slam last year.
Farrell was also awarded Men’s Coach of the Year in 2023 following his side’s long unbeaten run, however they missed out on the World Cup title they craved following a quarter final defeat to New Zealand.
