AAt Andy Farrell’s first press conference as head coach of the British and Irish Lions, one of the burning questions was how many people it would take to organize a rugby tour in the 21st century.
Back in 1888, on their first tour, the Lions’ backroom staff happened to be just two people. Today, 136 years later, it takes three people just to welcome each attendee and escort them through the door and to the 14th floor of the office building where the event is being held. The Lions had about 90 employees at their peak, but when you include all the sponsors, media and public relations staff, it feels closer to 900.
The Lions Tour has grown into a three-ring circus, a full-motion extravaganza with a cast of hundreds and an accompanying camera crew. Really, it’s a miracle it’s still working. Building a winning team should take time; Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber spent five years honing this South African team and winning two World Cups. The idea that you could do something similar over the course of a few weeks on a tour every four years should be ridiculous, especially when the players involved spend the remaining 46 months of the cycle knocking each other off . It’s a relic from the amateur era, an anachronism from the professional era.
The fact that it’s still happening is a testament to two things – the irresistible allure of the idea behind it, and the efforts of a small group of coaches to convince successive generations of players to buy into it. Forget all else, the Lions lived and died by the ability of those coaches to bring everyone together during those weeks. It’s not a Test series, it’s not a tournament, it’s a tour, a very different kind of challenge than leading a national team through a World Cup cycle or a club team through a league campaign. The Lions need a head coach who understands that and understands who they are.
That’s why, despite months of speculation and debate over who should join the Lions for their tour of Australia, the most important decision has already been made. Farrell still has a lot to prove as a coach. Despite his great success coaching Ireland, his record at three World Cups (as assistant coach and head coach) is limited. England were eliminated in the group stage in 2015, and Ireland were eliminated in the quarter-finals in 2019 and 2023. But he’s the right person to take the job.
The past three tours have been entrusted to Warren Gatland. He learned all about the Lions from Ian McGeechan, who took him on a tour of South Africa in 2009, while Gatland That knowledge was passed on to Farrell, who he selected as one of his assistants in 2013 and 2017. Farrell spoke at length about the impact the 2013 tour had on him. When Gatland asked him to coach, he was still new to the coaching role. Farrell said it “lit a fire” in him that has been burning ever since.
He knew then that he wanted to do it again and again in the future. “I love everything about this format. I love the preparation, I love how tough it is on tour and all the different dynamics that come with that,” Farrell said. “The three-game testing portion is special. Because there really should be a winner.” In 2013, they came back from an undefeated series to win the series. “To get yourself back that week like we did in the third Test is something you remember forever,” Farrell added. “I wish there was another one.”
Farrell was reminded, almost with embarrassment, of his famous speech before the third Test of that tour, when he told the players they would take Australia to the “Arena of Injury”. “I’ve probably grown up a little bit since then,” he said. “I’m not that dramatic.”
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He may not be as good at dealing with the media as Gatland. He doesn’t tell jokes as fast as Gatland, nor does his commentary sway referees or bait opponents like Gatland.
But there’s no doubt he knows and understands how to connect with his players and get them to want to play for him and each other. On the Lions tour, that’s the whole game.
