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Telegraph
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Thirteen Lions calls Andy Farrell must get right
A shadowy process in which the participants are sworn to secrecy, the papal conclave would do well to learn from the levels of mystery and intrigue surrounding Andy Farrell's final Lions selection meeting at an undisclosed location in London on Wednesday. Telegraph Sport raises 13 topics that will determine the make-up of the squad, to be announced on Thursday afternoon. Rule by debate or dictatorship? As head coach, Farrell will have the final say on squad selection. The question is how much input will his assistants have? While Richard Wigglesworth, Simon Easterby, John Dalziel, Andrew Goodman, Johnny Sexton and John Fogarty are all fine individual coaches, this is not a cabinet of heavyweights like Ian McGeechan assembled in 2009 or Warren Gatland in 2017. Fogarty and Dalziel have been coaching at international level for five years while the others are relative novices and none have coached on a Lions tour before. Certainly Sexton will not be shy in sharing his opinion – see his thoughts on Finn Russell – but how much sway will that have in the final decision? Speaking in March, Farrell suggested none of his thoughts will be set in stone when he walks into a room. 'I am open-minded enough to be persuaded in my opinion, I am not too pig- headed for that,' Farrell said. 'But if it comes down to a 50-50 I'd be happy to make the call. The way I like to do it when you start getting to the point or near the point where you start to play devil's advocate on everyone's opinion and the truth definitely comes out then.' Recency bias vs class is permanent Since the last Lions tour, Ireland have been by far the best-performing home nation – significant World Cup hiccup aside – winning two Six Nations titles as well as three Triple Crowns, reaching world No 1 status as well as securing landmark victories in South Africa and New Zealand. However, their form has dipped significantly with an underwhelming loss to the All Blacks in the autumn followed by a rout at home to France. A Leinster side containing 20 Irish internationals then lost to Northampton in the Champions Cup semi-final. Farrell's selections as Ireland head coach demonstrate that he is loyal – some would say to a fault – to players whose form might be wavering. Can he afford to apply the same principles to Lions selection? Or will he weigh the most recent high-level performances more prominently in that final selection call. 'Some teams are the worst in the world or the best in the world after two rounds and then how they finish they are now the best in the world or the worst in the world,' Farrell said. 'I just have to make sure I am level-headed enough to just see the reality of it.' We need to talk about Sam... On that subject, fly-half Sam Prendergast was conspicuously poor in both Ireland's loss to France loss and against Northampton last Saturday. His defence is simply a liability and one that would be ruthlessly exploited by a master manipulator such as Joe Schmidt. In a way, this should not be a surprise for a young fly-half who has not yet played 50 games of senior rugby and has a few rough edges. With his sumptuous range of passing and kicking you can see why Farrell is so smitten with Prendergast as Ireland's future No 10. Sexton too is a huge admirer. It has been suggested Prendergast would learn a lot from going to Australia but that is anathema to what the Lions should stand for. They are no development vehicle. Prendergast has plenty of attributes to be a successful Test fly-half but the flaws may appear too big to ignore. …. and Owen If Prendergast's selection ahead of, say Fin Smith or Finn Russell, would be incendiary then Owen Farrell going in the same circumstances would trigger a thermonuclear reaction on social media and beyond. Farrell has the experience of three previous tours and through force of personality would set internal standards that are so crucial to the Lions success over the tour, as former team-mate Alex Goode attests to. However, Farrell does not have the crucial commodity of form to merit selection after a rough first season with Racing 92. Farrell senior has said his only criteria is selecting players who give the Lions the best possible chance of success Down Under, but however alien the idea of nepotism might be to him, he has to at the very least consider the optics of selecting his son. The French connection The plus side of selecting Farrell is that barring a late surge Racing should not be involved in the Top 14 play-offs, allowing him to be called up instantly. Same for Courtney Lawes at Brive. For other contenders such as Blair Kinghorn and Jack Willis with Toulouse and Ben White, Kyle Sinckler and David Ribbans with Toulon, who are currently first and third in the Top 14, the situation is more complicated. Should either side reach the Top 14 final on June 28 then they will miss at least the Lions' first three fixtures against Argentina in Dublin on June 22, Western Force in Perth on June 28 and Queensland Reds in Brisbane on July 2. This, needless to say, would be far-from-ideal preparation and while Farrell previously appeared relaxed about it, he may only be able to make one or two rather than four or five exemptions. Witness the fitness The other big factor the coaches will need to consider is the current injury list which sadly now includes Caelan Doris who appears increasingly unlikely to make the tour. Centre Ollie Lawrence, wing Ollie Sleightholme and second row George Martin, who featured in England's Six Nations, are all out. Then comes a list of players who are currently injured but working their way back to fitness such as George Furbank, Mack Hansen, Sione Tuipulotu, Huw Jones, Blair Kinghorn, Zander Fagerson, Matt Fagerson, Duhan van der Merwe and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso. Some are due back before the end of the club season but Farrell can only take so many risks in a squad touring the other side of the world. Price of utilities Now if Farrell does intend to take some French-based players as well as some players who might at the very least be far from 100 per cent, this will place an added premium on certain individuals to cover multiple positions, especially in the backline. Elliot Daly and Jamie Obsorne can seamlessly slot between the centres as well as the back three while Blair Murray can feature there and at fly-half. In a specialist role like No 10, where game minutes may be limited, the ability to fill other positions is especially important which may well play into Marcus Smith's hands. 'You need versatility in a Lions squad,' Danny Wilson, the Harlequins head coach, said. 'He can genuinely do that. He's shown it at 10 and 15 internationally.' Then there is Asher Opoku-Fordjour, that rarest of beasts as a prop who can double up at loosehead and tighthead, which was noted by scrum coach John Fogarty. 'Something like that is valuable, isn't it?' While it is valuable, there is also a balance between having Jacks of all trades and too few specialist masters. Combo deals or mix and match? With time so limited on a Lions tour, there will be a strong temptation to pick a couple of flat-pack combinations off the shelf rather than mix and match. Hence picking ready-made centre pairings of Tuipulotu and Jones or Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose. Same with the half-backs where there is an added appeal of picking Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith or Jamison Gibson-Park who play for both club and country. If Maro Itoje is going to be your main lineout target, that counts in the favour of Jamie George who has thrown to Itoje more than any individual. However, there is a danger that if you go down that path then you end up with the entire Ireland team. Can Welsh dragons bring fire? Picking on a combination basis would work against Wales players. So would picking on the basis of Test results. With no Welsh coach in the room, there may not be anyone banging the table on their behalf. The job for Farrell and his team is to separate the individual quality from the team's performances. There are very few backs in world rugby who look like a million dollars behind a retreating pack, but Tomos Williams has given frequent demonstrations with Gloucester how dangerous he can be when given something of a platform. Same with Murray with the Scarlets. Jac Morgan is competing in the most fiendishly competitive position at openside but do you give his consistently excellent performances for Wales extra credit – or does he have more involvements because he is on the back foot so much? But Farrell was brutally clear that he is not going to kowtow to the notion that each nation deserves a set representation. Need for speed Go back through past Lions squads, whether Louis Rees-Zammit in 2021, Anthony Watson in 2017 or Jason Robinson in 2001, and there has always been a gas merchant. Now pace is relative. The majority of the likely backline are by no means slow but by Test standards there is a lack of an out-and-out speedster, with the possible exception of Scotland's Darcy Graham who is as much elusive as electric. How much will this play into the hands of Feyi-Waboso as he slowly recovers from the shoulder surgery which was botched between the Rugby Football Union and Exeter? Or does Farrell have another candidate in mind to inject some raw speed into his backline? Dropping a Pollock At this stage, Henry Pollock can no longer be considered a long shot from left field. Only the astounding depth in the back row prevents him from being a certain selection given his recent performances. Either way it will be a controversial call: overlooking possibly the form player in Europe or selecting a one-cap England flanker ahead of far more established options such as Ben Curry, who was one England's best performers in the Six Nations, or Josh van der Flier. Pollock could still arrive as a call-up from England's tour to Argentina but Farrell must be tempted to unleash that youthful fearlessness that he once possessed in spades for Wigan and Great Britain. Avoiding 'off-tour' adventures Picking a Lions squad is not simply about picking the best of the best, it is also about the blend of personalities and the ability to be a good tourist. This is not to say that anyone will be selected for the quality of their banter or that they will not fight tooth and nail to get a starting shirt, but it is crucial that those players not picked for the first Test do not go 'off tour' as has happened previously. Farrell will have done his homework on those who react well to being overlooked. Several players for instance have commented that George Ford was instrumental in keeping standards high in England's training despite only being selected for the final match. Another factor that needs to be considered is the experience of Lions tours. Even those who went to South Africa in 2021 will not have had a full taste of it behind closed doors. There needs to be at least a cohort of senior players who can relay their experiences, both good and bad, to the rest of the group so the squad are not caught unawares by the intensity of a full-fat tour with fans. About Schmidt Finally, there is he who must not be named. Australia head coach Joe Schmidt has an outsized influence on the coaching careers of five of their coaches from his time in Ireland setting up a fascinating master-v-apprentices dynamic this summer. While Australia lost to Ireland in the autumn, the Wallabies often appeared to be one step ahead of what Farrell's team were doing, which was doubtless a sign of Schmidt's influence. The Lions coaching team want to be unpredictable in how they play Australia; might this also be reflected in a couple of curveball selections?
Irish Daily Mirror
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Ireland interim head coach Simon Easterby handed driving ban
Ireland interim head coach Simon Easterby has been handed a six-month driving ban after being caught speeding. According to the BBC, Easterby was found exceeding the 70mph speed limit on a dual carriageway in Bodmin, Cornwall, last August. The 49-year-old, who led Ireland during this year's Six Nations, appeared before Cardiff Magistrates' Court on Monday. Although the court took into account Easterby's work and family commitments that involve driving, it ruled that exceptional hardship had not been proven. As a result, Easterby was disqualified from driving for six months. The former Ireland international, who lives in the Vale of Glamorgan, was also ordered to pay a total of £1,345 in fines and surcharges, with the amount due within a week. Easterby stepped in as Ireland's interim head coach while Andy Farrell took a break from the national team to prepare to lead the British & Irish Lions tour of Australia this summer. It was announced last month that Easterby will be a member of Farrell's coaching ticket for the Lions tour. Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email.
BBC News
28-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Lions coach Simon Easterby banned from driving for speeding in Bodmin
Ireland's interim head coach Simon Easterby has been disqualified from driving for six months after being caught former rugby player was caught exceeding the 70mph speed limit on a dual carriageway in Bodmin, Cornwall, last Monday, Cardiff Magistrates' Court considered Easterby's work and family commitments that require him to the court did not not find exceptional hardship and the rugby coach was told he would be disqualified from driving for six months. Former Scarlets player Easterby, who lives in Vale of Glamorgan, was also told to pay a fine as well as a court heard the figure came to a total of £1,345 which has to be paid within the next February, Easterby was linked with the vacant Wales head coach job following Warren Gatland's recently joined the British and Irish Lions coaching set-up as the team prepares to take on Australia this summer.
BBC News
17-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Ireland plot summer rebuild after hat-trick bid peters out
As the Six Nations retreats from the sporting calendar for the next 10 months and the players prepare for a return to club action, Ireland will start preparing to set the wheels of the evolution in motion. Simon Easterby, Ireland's long-time defence coach, was thrust into the hotseat for the Six Nations on an interim basis as Andy Farrell switched focus to the British and Irish Lions. It was predictably chaotic for the 49-year-old. For the first time, he was exposed to making selection calls at Test level, the fallout from which centred on the Sam Prendergast v Jack Crowley fly-half debate. He was also forced to contend with the usual squad issues; injuries, late matchday withdrawals and suspensions. The former back row was even moved to brush off links to the Wales job following Warren Gatland's mid-tournament departure and found himself in a war of words with France counterpart Fabien Galthie over Antoine Dupont's injury. Easterby was expected to lead Ireland's summer tour, but on Sunday The Daily Telegraph linked him, external with a role on Farrell's Lions coaching ticket. Speaking before the Lions link emerged, Easterby said he was "committed" to Ireland and "pretty happy where I am" after rumours of succeeding Gatland swirled earlier in the championship. Easterby's first crack at a Test head coaching role began brightly, with three wins delivering the Triple Crown before Ireland's challenge petered out. Humbled at home by eventual champions France, the Irish closed the campaign with a narrow bonus-point win over Italy that did little to quell concerns over the team's is a sense of the unknown, too, given the retirements of Peter O'Mahony, Conor Murray and Cian Healy, a trio who have been central to Ireland's journey over the past decade or so. Whether or not Easterby oversees Ireland's summer tour, there will be an expectation on Ireland to usher in the next generation while the country's stars are on Lions duty in Australia. And given the squad's age profile - 12 of the 23-man squad against Italy, including O'Mahony and Murray, were at least 30 years of age - Easterby appreciates the need for fresh blood. "I think the team is having to continually evolve," he said. "If you don't, then you end up getting caught and bypassed by other teams. So I think it's something that we will reflect on over the next couple of weeks and look at the areas that we wanted to improve on or add to the group and then see if we've done that. "That will always be the case, but certainly sometimes we felt like that was the case and other times during the championship we felt like we probably haven't quite mastered that yet." Summer tour a chance to blood new players On the summer tour, the precise details of which are not confirmed, Easterby suggested it will be a largely young and untested squad. "I think it's a chance to really expose as many players that we feel are still in the system but probably haven't had the opportunity at the senior level."He added: "It'll be about finding out about certain positions that we feel we need more depth in, but also keep continually trying to keep exposing certain players that are already in the system, that have already played part in the Six Nations."The tough thing about international rugby is that you get limited time to gain caps and experience, hence why we probably picked someone like Jack Boyle today off the bench and Gus McCarthy as well. Two guys who have done really well in the system."You're limited to picking them for senior games and we want to try and do that as much as we can, to expose and build depth where we can." Ireland's attack is a key area of concern after it failed to click into gear and light up Stadio Olimpico on Saturday. Ireland scored 17 tries and 135 points in the 2025 championship, their weakest return since 2021. France, in contrast, ran in 30 tries and 218 points. Les Bleus may be in a different league in that regard, but England - who Ireland beat six weeks ago - scored 25 tries and 179 points to finish above Ireland in second. Against Italy, Easterby had a well-established backline featuring the returning Crowley, Mack Hansen, James Lowe and Garry Ringrose, but still only scored 22 points, fewer than they managed against France. The struggle to turn pressure inside the opponent's 22-metre line into points was prevalent throughout the autumn Tests and continued in the Six Nations. Addressing Ireland's attack, which peaked in the second half of their opening game against England, Easterby said "we've seen really good things" while admitting there are "certain things that we feel we need to get better at". "A lot of that is under pressure situations, how good are guys, how accurate they are with decision-making. "All the things that make a good rugby player. We've got to keep pushing that and trying to expose them in those sort of situations."
BBC News
15-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Ireland 'trying a bit too hard' in Italy win
Ireland interim head coach Simon Easterby felt his side were "trying to force things" in their 22-17 Six Nations win over Italy.A Dan Sheehan hat-trick helped the visitors to a bonus-point win in Rome but, after struggles to convert in defeat by France last week, they again left a number of scores behind that they needed to record as big a win as possible and hope results elsewhere went their way to have any hope of retaining their title, Easterby said his side were "trying to force things".Ultimately, England's bonus-point win over Wales in Cardiff later in the day meant Ireland were out of the running regardless of their own result."Sometimes, you are trying a bit too hard to make passes stick or one more pass at the line," he said. "Credit to Italy, they put us under pressure and we didn't deal with that as well as we should have done. "We got the five points we needed, maybe not the scoreline we intended, but part of that is down to accuracy and trying to force things that went on." 'I hope that it will be a springboard' Ireland skipper Caelan Doris said that the title scenarios were not a huge focus during the week but thought they had an impact as the game wore went behind through Monty Ioane's try in the 12th minute before leading 12-10 at the break thanks to scores from Hugo Keenan and scored two second-half tries to complete his hat-trick but Ireland could not press home their advantage and finished the game requiring a defensive stand to see out the win. "It wasn't something that was overly pushed or anything during the week because of the respect we have for Italy and their attack, what their capable of," said Doris of the need to rack up points."It was very much result first but there was probably a little bit of feeling when momentum was coming with us, given how the first 20/30 went, that we wanted to convert when we got the chance."Maybe there was a little bit of forcing things out there. There were quite a number of last passes that didn't go to hand. Why? Maybe forcing things, I'm not sure."Ireland won their first three games of the championship, securing the Triple Crown against Wales in Cardiff last hopes of a Grand Slam, however, were ended by a heavy defeat to France in round four."I think there's been a lot of good stuff," added Doris of the campaign as a whole."Our first three games, winning the Triple Crown within that, showed quite a lot of positive things in there."There's lots of things we can learn and grow from over the last couple of weeks and I hope that it will be a springboard for us as a group to go and continue to evolve and a bit of a realisation that there's still a lot of work to be done and a lot in us."
