Andy Farrell: New Lions coach confident Ireland will be in safe hands during his sabbatical

Andy Farrell says he will have no qualms leaving Ireland in the hands of his coaching staff when he takes his sabbatical to begin his new role as the British and Irish Lions head coach.

It means Farrell will step away from the Irish team in December until the tour concludes in August 2025.

However, the Englishman is confident Ireland can thrive in his absence.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, he said: “First and foremost, we have a tremendous, experienced and very talented coaching staff and backroom staff that have been through a lot together, certainly over the last four years and before that.

“Some of the experiences we’ve had of people being able to take responsibility and being able to be trusted, it gets us to the point where we’re able to put ourselves in this position.

“And not just that – for what’s coming now in the Six Nations and the tour to South Africa and then having the big guns coming to the Aviva [Stadium] in the autumn as well.”

Farrell has a strong coaching ticket with Ireland that includes former Lions captain Paul O’Connell, ex-Ireland players Simon Easterby and John Fogarty, and ex-England and Lions back Mike Catt, who will be replaced by Leinster assistant coach Andrew Goodman at the end of the season.

“We’re only going to grow as a group knowing that this is coming towards the end of the year,” added Farrell.

In his news conference earlier on Thursday, he said: “I’ll balance the two roles by ensuring I give both roles everything.

“I’m grateful to the IRFU (Irish Rugby Football Union) for this opportunity. I wouldn’t take on this role unless I could do both roles to the best of my ability.”

Farrell has been given the chance to lead the Lions after having impressed during his four years in charge of Ireland, winning a Grand Slam and a Test series in New Zealand while taking the team to the top of the world rankings.

He will remain with Ireland, to whom he is contracted until 2027, for this year’s Six Nations title defence, a two-Test tour to South Africa in July and the autumn internationals before starting his work with the Lions.

Farrell was an assistant to Warren Gatland for the Lions’ 2013 tour of Australia and 2017 series in New Zealand, with his Ireland duties preventing him from joining the 2021 tour of South Africa.

As for his own coaching ticket, the 48-year-old says he has not approached anyone and will take his time before assembling his Lions backroom team.

“The right thing to do is to take my time with that to make sure I have the right conversations,” added Farrell, who was named World Rugby’s coach of the year in October.

“Also to make sure I’m able to step back and see people grow. There are always changes to coaching staff within seasons. Some people have new roles, some people have just started a role and need time to grow in that.

“Some people will have the opportunity to put themselves under extreme pressure and we’ll see how people deal with that.

“Having the space to be able to have the conversations so that you get the right people on the plane is super important because making sure that they’re the right coaching staff for the players is a job I have to get right.”

Farrell will be back in Ireland for his first match in charge of the Lions against Argentina at the Aviva Stadium on 20 June 2025, which will be the Lions’ first fixture on Irish soil.

The Tests against the Wallabies will be on 19 July, 26 July and 2 August 2025.