Irish performance coach Gary Keegan joins Farrell's Lions
IRELAND PERFORMANCE COACH Gary Keegan has joined Andy Farrell's coaching staff for the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia.
Keegan has been an influential figure in the Ireland set-up in recent years, working with the Irish players on their mental skills and combining with Farrell to set the tone among the squad for each campaign.
Keegan – who made his name in Irish Olympic boxing and with the Dublin football team – began working with Ireland part-time in 2020 and joined Farrell's staff permanently in 2022.
Ireland's players have raved about his influence on the group, while Keegan has become a trusted right-hand man for Farrell.
As such, it is no surprise that Farrell has brought Keegan into the Lions set-up for the upcoming tour to Australia. Keegan will be the Lions' performance coach, carrying out the same role as he does with Ireland.
Advertisement
Keegan is one of many Irish staff joining Farrell for the trip Down Under.
Four of Farrell's Ireland assistant coaches – Simon Easterby, John Fogarty, Johnny Sexton, and Andrew Goodman – are going on the Lions tour, while a group of Irish backroom staff are also travelling.
Vinny Hammond, Ireland's head of innovation and analytics, is the Lions' head of analysis for this tour, while head of athletic performance Aled Walters is also travelling with the Lions. Former IRFU performance director David Nucifora is the general manager of performance for the tourists.
Farrell's Lions have also brought in Irish medical, communications, and logistics staff for the tour to Australia, while Andy Farrell's playing squad includes 16 Irish players.
Paul O'Connell is the only Ireland assistant coach remaining with the national team squad for their tour to Georgia and Portugal.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
34 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
Ruaidhri O'Connor: Johnny Sexton has gone right in at the top with the Lions and he's looking and sounding comfortable
October 14, 2023 was the last time Johnny Sexton did a press conference – and while there was a book and a flurry of media around its publication, the list of questions has built and built. Yesterday, he was back in front of the cameras as a Lions assistant coach, taking questions and giving his usual frank answers on a range of topics from Rieko Ioane, the young Irish players trying to fill his boots, Finn Russell, his return to coaching with the Lions and the accusation that there are too many Irish players in the touring squad.
Irish Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Johnny Sexton on Jim Gavin, Robbie Keane, two worlds away from rugby
The UK's angry brigade - rugby branch - are already up in arms about the amount of Irish coaches and players going to the Lions trip to Australia. A tour that has a sweet sixteen-load of Ireland players, Andy Farrell as Head coach, Simon Easterby, John Forgarty, Andrew Goodman and Johnny Sexton as Assistant have we got news for them; Sexton is thinking about bringing a bit of Jim Gavin and Robbie Keane with him too!As it is Sexton, following retiring from playing rugby for Leinster and Ireland since around the time man invented fire and following having taken a sabbatical to work in the business world, is back in a from Andy Farrell offering him the role of Out-Half Minder/Kicking Advisor for the nine-game Lions tour that opens with a game against Argentina this Friday at the out Sexton hasn't really been away, he was just taking a break and is back with friends now Monica and Chandler and Andy, Simon, Tadgh, Jamison, Jack, JR, James, Garry and so time away ought to have been interesting as well, getting to see former Dubs coach Jim Gavin's business view and talking to Robbie Keane about his there is the roadshow all the podcasts have missed out on, Gavin-Sexton-Keane while, apparently, there is no truth in the rumour Sky Sports are going to divert Roy,,,.Says Sexton of sampling the cut-throat world of the business boardroom, of carrying the knife in your briefcase and not in your lionskin shirt:'It was a great experience for me, it kinda solidified what I thought about high performance really, whether you are in business or in sport."That what you do every day is every (itals) thing (itals), the standards that you set, all these things that Joe (Schmidt) taught us when he came to Leinster, what was it, all those 15 years ago."That was solidified further over the last year and a half, and so from that regard, sometimes if you take a step back from the environment and you are not in it, sometimes you can actually see a lot of wider things."And then when you get back in you can say I matched up or that I was wrong there and it gives you a different perception of it. I learned a lot, I threw myself into it."The time away from the training ground has added to his perception of Jim Gavin's thinking, the most successful modern-day GAA coach/manager."I have met him, yes, a very impressive guy. We have had him in over the years with the Ireland team, I don't think we had him in with the Leinster team and you could see why he was so successful. He is very similar to Joe actually and we took a lot from his visits.'Overall, it was a great experience for me. I learned a lot, I threw myself into it, I was in it for the long haul in my own mind. Maybe I was tricking myself, I'm not sure."But, having made the decision now, I'm kind of like, I feel I'm where I should be in terms of in sport, in rugby, and loving being part of it and trying to challenge myself in here now."Robbie Keane is from a different world, a different sport to Gavin and Sexton, and he left a positive impression.'I did get a chance to talk to him, yeah. He's a good character, Robbie. Talking about his different experiences, in Israel and Hungary. "He's thriving, isn't he? He's loving it. Picking his brain on certain things he's doing there but most of the time I spent laughing at him. He's just a great character, great story-teller. A lot of fun, yeah."
The Irish Sun
2 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Johnny Sexton reveals how long it took Andy Farrell to convince him to join Lions coaching staff
JUST when Johnny Sexton thought he was out, Andy Farrell pulled him back in. As far as Farrell was concerned, Sexton's contribution to Irish rugby could not end simply because he had hung up his boots. 2 Sexton has fully thrown himself into coaching Credit: PA 2 Farrell's charges will face Argentina on Friday at the Aviva Stadium Credit: Getty And, as much as the former out-half might have tried to convince himself he would be happy working in business, he did not require much persuasion to Sexton, 39, said: 'As a player I would have always doubted myself throughout the years, whether it was coming into the Irish set-up for the first time or when you become a Lion for the first time, or Leinster. 'It's no different now. You're going in, you want to prove yourself, want to show that you can bring value. 'It was something I considered when Andy picked up the phone, you're kind of going, 'Wow'. It's such an honour, how can you say no? Read More On Irish Sport 'Like, I didn't pick myself. He asked me to come, I considered it for about 30 seconds and ultimately how could you not? I'd have regretted it for the rest of my life.' A part-time role first for the November Internationals and the Six Nations whetted Sexton's appetite. And although he believes he gained a lot from his year working as the Ardagh Group's chief of staff, he feels better equipped to contribute to the Lions and Ireland teams. He said: 'When you're starting a new job in a new line of work, you're learning. I was learning a lot. Most read in Rugby Union 'But it's hard to contribute because you're sitting in a room with people that have 20 years, 30 years of experience in the industry. Whereas, that's me now. I've had 20 years' experience. "Yes, I haven't coached but the role that I'm in allows me to, I suppose, give some experience without having too much responsibility in terms of the team. 'Just in time for Father's Day' - Dublin GAA legends welcome the birth of precious baby daughter 'I'm hoping that with the Ireland set-up, there will be a bit more of that responsibility and we'll see how that progresses over the next while. 'I knew deep down that I was going to miss it. It wasn't until I was back in it that I missed it. "Sometimes you try and kid yourself when you're out of it and you're watching and you're going, you feel a bit detached from it.' Joining the Lions team has required some bridge-building having suggested in his autobiography that Finn Russell being 'the darling of the media' swayed Warren Gatland to pick the Scot ahead of him for the 2021 Lions Tour. Arguably more damaging, in October, he said boss Farrell should pick his own son Owen ahead of Russell. SORTED OUT The pair had a quick catch-up after the squad was announced and Russell claimed they laughed about it and he held no grudge. And Sexton said: 'What the Lions demands of you is that if there is a rivalry — which there's not but if there was — you leave it at the door. 'I'm here to help him now. I'm here to give him experiences. I'm here to answer questions. I'm not here to force myself on him or tell him what to do. It's not that relationship. I'm here to help. 'The thing about me is I'm an inexperienced coach but I've probably seen it all, rugby-wise — I've been bad, I've been dropped, I've been not picked, I've been injured. "If they've a bad game, if they've a tough game, being able to help them out, pick them up is something that I'm quite passionate about.' The Lions run out at Sexton's old Aviva Stadium stomping ground when tour prep ramps up with Friday's game against Argentina. Beyond that, Sexton hopes to catch up with former mentor, Australia coach Joe Schmidt, outside the Tests to 'maybe wind him up a bit!' He hopes his insight into Schmidt's methods can be of benefit but he admitted a recent meeting with former Ireland striker and current Ferencvaros boss Sexton said: 'He's a good character, Robbie. We were talking about his different experiences, in Israel and Hungary? He's thriving, isn't he? He's loving it. 'I was picking his brain on certain things he's doing there but most of the time I spent laughing at him. He's just a great character, great story-teller.'
