Andy Farrell announced on Wednesday the team of assistant coaches he will bring with him to Australia on this summer's Lions tour.
Alongside Farrell Down Under will be fellow Ireland coaches Simon Easterby, Andrew Goodman, and John Fogarty, while Scotland's John Dalziel and England's Richard Wigglesworth will also join the coaching team.
The head coach also revealed that he and his team had drawn up a long list of 75 potential touring players, to be whittled down to around 37 by the time the formal squad announcement rolls around on May 8th.
Notably absent from the lineup of coaches is any representation from the Wales coaching team after their tumultuous Six Nations campaign.
22 February 2025; Wales supporters react during the Guinness Six Nations Rugby Championship match between Wales and Ireland at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
The unfortunate retention of the Wooden Spoon summed up what was another wretched campaign for the Welsh, who made the shock move of changing coach midway through the championship, with Warren Gatland stepping aside after the defeat to Scotland on the second weekend.
Writing in the Telegraph last week, England journalist Ben Coles suggested Andy Farrell give a severe response to Wales' brutal Six Nations form.
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UK journalist encourages Andy Farrell not to bring any Wales players on Lions tour
Rugby writer Coles argued in his column that Lions head coach Andy Farrell should not be "forced" to bring "token" Wales players on the tour of Australia this summer.
Coles said that, leaving the Stadio Olimpico after Wales' defeat to Italy earlier in the championship, the thought entered his mind that Farrell may well be of mind not to select any Welsh players.
After running through the various Welsh options who could sneak their way onto the plane (back-row Jac Morgan is by far the most likely, while scrum-half Tomos Williams is still touch-and-go), Coles argued that Farrell should not feel that he must bring Wales players on the tour if they are not the best options.
"Farrell should not feel as though he has to please everybody by picking a player from Wales for the sake of politics or to respect the spirit of what a Lions tour is all about," Coles said.
"Of course, no Wales players on the Lions tour would be a travesty, and a sorry reflection of the state of the national game, but that is not Farrell’s fault.
"[Winning the series] means picking the best players and not being guilt-tripped into calling up a Wales player to keep everyone happy."
It would certainly be a hugely contentious call given the spirit of the Lions historically, but Farrell may well feel as though it is one he must make.
With close to 40 players selected for the Lions every four years, the absence of any one country would be a sign of how drastic their situation has become. Wales are veering dangerously close to such territory.
The last time a Lions tour took place without a single representative from one of the four countries involved was the 1936 tour to Argentina. Curiously, it was also Wales on that occasion who had 0 players in the travelling party.
It's unlikely that Wales will be without a 2025 Lions representative, but not out of the question. Time will tell, with the squad announcement just over a month away.
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