When Andy Farrell leads a British and Irish Lions side of his choosing Down Under this coming summer his selection of coaches will prove every bit as important as that of his playing squad.
It will be the first time since the 2009 tour to South Africa that Warren Gatland has not been in the hot seat, leaving Farrell with the steep challenge of assembling a representative coaching side in whom he can place his trust.
The Ireland head coach temporarily concluded his time with Ireland at the end of last year's November Series to focus on that task.
While the upcoming Six Nations will dictate much of what players board the plane to Australia, Farrell will have free reign to cast a much wider net when it comes to his coaching picks, with club coaches in both hemispheres providing very feasible options for the tour, barring, of course, any objections from their employers.
15 November 2024; Ireland head coach Andy Farrell before the Autumn Nations Series match between Ireland and Argentina at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
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Brian Moore warns Farrell off choosing Irish coaches
Despite the free reign, the temptation to stick with those tried and trusted colleagues you know can be tempting - a temptation two-time British and Irish Lion Brian Moore warned Andy Farrell off.
The 64-times capped former England hooker, who also travelled on the 1989 and 1993 Lions Tours was writing in his column in The Telegraph when he claimed that "Andy Farrell must pick Lions coaching staff that makes non-Irish players feel they have fair chance"
Moore was making the point that tensions between touring coaches can often have an exponential impact on the players, with there being a fine line between choosing coaches you can harmonise with and alienating one nationality by depriving them of representation on the coaching staff. A factor which Moore felt should steer Farrell away from choosing a host of Irish coaches.
In a very short preparation-time period, they have to instil the perception of fair competition so that each player believes they are being properly considered.
This seminal issue can also be affected by the composition of the management and coaching team. Some take the view that Farrell should pick the best people for each coaching role, irrespective of nationality. Surely, the best combined talent will produce the best results. With Lions’ tours I do not think this is the right approach.
While Moore warned Farrell off disenfranchising non-Irish players, he did acknowledge that giving all four associations representation cannot come at the cost of a harmonious coaching group.
In a perfect world, Farrell would be able to pick members of his coaching team from all four unions. This way he would avoid any lingering suspicion that one country’s players might be overlooked because they have nobody to advance their cause. Unfortunately, the greater necessity is for the coaching team to be immediately cohesive and effective rather than representative.
Ultimately, on nearly every Lions tour, at least one nation will feel aggrieved by the selection. In recent years, that has been Scotland; this year, rather ironically, it looks set to be Warren Gatland's Wales. Regardless of the makeup of Farrell's coaching ticket, nothing will change that, and Farrell is unlikely to be bogged down by it.
The Ireland coach, however, will be concerned by how connected the players within his camp are and in that regard Moore's advice may not go astray.
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