While the majority of the focus will be on the Lions this summer, Ireland will be on a three-match tour of the US and Japan.
Ireland play the US on June 10th and then two games against Japan on June 17th and 24th.
According to the Irish Independent's Brendan Fanning, Ronan O'Gara will be part of the Irish coaching team for part of the tour.
O'Gara is currently defence coach of reigning Top 14 champions Racing 92, a job to which he is tied until 2019. Ever since joining Racing in 2013, the possibility of O'Gara returning to Ireland and taking up a coaching role has been a talking point.
Though Andy Farrell, Ireland's current defence coach, will be part of the Lions coach staff in New Zealand, O'Gara's role will apparently not be to fill the gap left by the English man.
Instead, along with Felix Jones and Girvan Dempsey, who will also have roles on the tour, O'Gara will function as a skills coach.
With Ireland likely to be without 11 or so first-choice players on the summer tour, due to their involvement with the Lions, it's likely that many younger players will get the opportunity to showcase their abilities.
The addition of O'Gara will certainly be of benefit to those new caps.
Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
