Worst kept secret in rugby is also the best fit – Andy Goode

Andy Farrell’s appointment as British & Irish Lions head coach might be the worst kept secret and most glaringly obvious choice in recent rugby history but it’s also the best fit imaginable.

There really never was anyone else in the frame and, with two tours as an assistant, a glittering playing career and a good body of work already behind him as an international head coach, you’d have to work hard to find anyone credible arguing with the decision.

I’ve seen a few people citing Ireland’s latest quarter-final exit from the World Cup as something to count against him but by that token everyone apart from Jacques Nienaber and Rassie Erasmus is a failure and Farrell could scarcely have come closer to beating the All Blacks in that epic encounter in Paris just three months ago.

The Wiganer led Ireland to only the fourth Six Nations Grand Slam in their history last year and, as well as being a born winner and leader, he is also a man who is pretty much universally regarded as a good bloke which is important on a long tour.

The media is awash with people picking their Lions XVs already but it’s way too soon to be discussing selection. There is no doubt in my mind that Farrell will pick on form though and be unscrupulously fair.

(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

There will always be calls that people disagree with but there are unlikely to be a lot of accusations of bias towards Ireland players, as has perhaps been the case in the past, as much as anything because a lot of them are so good that they’re nailed on to be selected anyway.

Of course, the subject of Farrell’s son has dominated the headlines in the wake of his appointment as well given that he might be off to Paris to play his club rugby and is taking a break from England duty for the time being.

There isn’t much to be said on that either though to be honest. The tour is 17 months away, players plying their trade in France have been selected before and if he’s tearing up trees, I’ve absolutely no doubt he’ll be on the plane but there won’t be any preferential treatment.

Owen Farrell in action for England (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

The only real area that is up for discussion in the coming few months and that might divide opinion is the make-up of Farrell’s coaching staff. I think he’d like to have his assistants in place in the not too distant future and I can see him wanting to make a clean break from the Warren Gatland era.

A lot of people are expecting Gregor Townsend to lead the attack again because he’s still in situ with Scotland and there aren’t too many other obvious options but the Lions scored just two tries in three Tests in South Africa and they were both scored by hookers.

That isn’t necessarily Townsend’s fault and he might have been restricted by Gatland’s style of play, he’s clearly a bright attacking mind but I just think Farrell might want to have his own man in there and someone who hasn’t done the job before.

Mike Catt is definitely an option, having been on a couple of Lions tours as a player, worked with Farrell as an assistant in the England and Ireland setups and with his departure from the Irish coaching staff confirmed for later this year.

Not that they aren’t excellent coaches in their own right because they are but I’m not sure the likes of Pete Horne, Richard Wigglesworth or Alex King, who are currently working on attack internationally, will be high up on the list of names being considered.

(Photo by Xavier Leoty/AFP via Getty Images)

Ronan O’Gara is reportedly interested in touring with the Lions at some point and would be the dream choice for many but it might well be tricky to negotiate his release from La Rochelle at a busy time of year for them.

There are other exciting attacking minds working at club level who could do a good job such as Nick Evans, Noel McNamara or Sam Vesty but, aside from Graham Rowntree in 2017, you don’t see many club assistant coaches called up to Lions tours for obvious reasons.

There are definitely more outstanding candidates that trip off the tongue for the role of defence coach and Steve Tandy, who is still involved with Scotland, did a good job in 2021 but I think Farrell will go for someone different.

Mike Forshaw has a rugby league background like Farrell and is doing a great job with Wales’ defence after improving Sale significantly but, given their close relationship and his outstanding CV, Shaun Edwards would be most people’s pick.

France don’t always focus too heavily on their summer tours and often send development squads so they might be amenable to releasing him for the right price but it’s certainly harder to get him on board than someone working for one of the home nations or Ireland.

Shaun Edwards at work with France (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

He might not even have got his feet under the table with England yet but probably the most natural choice for the job of defence coach would be Felix Jones, after all he has just won back to back World Cups with South Africa and their defence wasn’t too shabby.

It’ll be interesting to see whether Farrell takes any of his current Ireland assistants with him or leaves them all to hold the fort but Paul O’Connell would surely be the one to accompany him if anyone does given he’s a former Lions captain and is a lineout and, more recently, breakdown guru.

Robin McBryde, currently at Leinster, was forwards coach on the 2021 Lions tour and Munster head coach Graham Rowntree has done that job on tours in the past. He’d be a perfect choice but may not be available this time around.

Farrell will have some names in mind already and take a bit of time to have conversations and get the right blend in his coaching staff but that’ll be one of the jobs he wants to get ticked off first.

It’s good to have the worst kept secret in rugby out in the open now but there’s absolutely no rush for any further developments. The opposition don’t even have a head coach at the moment and are at their lowest ebb ever.

Head Coach, Eddie Jones looks on during the Rugby World Cup France 2023 match between Australia and Fiji at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard on September 17, 2023 in Saint-Etienne, France. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

The less said about the second Eddie Jones era with the Wallabies the better but it isn’t great when Australia’s full-back-cum-fly-half at the World Cup Ben Donaldson is saying the players still haven’t heard anything since the tournament and the All Blacks are in camp now.

The men in green and gold simply cannot be in worse shape than they are now when the Lions come to visit but they have an awful lot of work to do in a short space of time and everyone will be expecting a series win for the Lions.

Ordinarily, the Lions are underdogs given the short time they have to prepare and bring together players from different nations, cultures and systems and the quality of South Africa and New Zealand, but they are bound to be big favourites this time around and that adds a different pressure for Farrell.

Of course, pressure is something Farrell senior has thrived on all his life though and success has usually followed so the hype can start building now for the next huge event in the rugby calendar and here’s hoping he can deliver a Wallaby whitewash, something that’s never happened before except for on the Australian legs of the joint tours to there and New Zealand in the 1950s and 60s.