Ireland announce new head coach as bulk of staff join Lions

Ireland have announced that Paul O’Connell will take charge of the team this summer on an interim basis as they face Georgia and Portugal, with the bulk of the national coaching set-up joining Andy Farrell with the British and Irish Lions.

Lions head coach Farrell stepped down from his role with Ireland temporarily at the end of last year to focus on the series against Australia at the end of last year, with Simon Easterby taking over during the Guinness Six Nations as Ireland finished third.

But Easterby, along with backs coach Andrew Goodman and scrum coach Andrew Goodman, were confirmed as members of Farrell’s Lions coaching team on Wednesday, leaving a huge hole to be filled in the Irish set-up.

That leaves current forwards coach O’Connell as the most senior member of the coaching team left, and he will take charge of the two fixtures in July, with IRFU performance director David Humphreys announcing that the rest of the coaching team will be revealed next week.

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“On behalf of the IRFU, I would like to congratulate Simon, John and Andrew on their respective selections for the forthcoming British & Irish Lions tour to Australia,” Humphreys said in a statement.

“It is a huge statement of faith in their skill-sets and standing within the wider game, and I have no doubt that they will contribute greatly to a successful Lions tour.

“Their appointments mark significant milestones in their coaching careers, as it will for Vinny Hammond and Aled Walters, who were previously confirmed earlier this year. They will proudly follow in the footsteps of a long list of Irish coaches who have represented Ireland previously with the Lions coaching and management teams.

“To head coach Andy Farrell and to all those players who will hopefully be selected in a few weeks, we wish them all the very best of luck.

“Simon’s appointment means that an opportunity arises for a new interim head coach for the two-match summer tour to Georgia (5th July) and Portugal (12th July) and I’m delighted that Paul O’Connell will assume the role for this tour. Details around the remainder of the Ireland coaching team will be announced next week.”