Being brutally honest, I wish I had just stuck to being a Lions player. I toured South Africa in 1980 and New Zealand in 1983 and loved it. But I did not really enjoy my time as coach in New Zealand in 2005.
I was approached to do the job on the back of England winning the World Cup two years previously. I guess that made me the obvious choice.
It’s a hugely prestigious role. But ultimately, I regret taking it on.Â
Looking back, I wasn’t in the right mindset to take on such a unique coaching challenge. After the effort it took to win the World Cup, what I really needed was a sabbatical. I needed a rest and to regroup before going again, ideally still with England. I realize that now.
I look at coaches like Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola, who both took time out midway through their managerial careers and have both taken the strain this year, and wonder why taking a year off is not normalized. In 2005, that didn’t seem an option.
I found it very difficult to not select my England players for the Lions. I’m sure next year’s head coach Andy Farrell will find it similarly difficult to leave out his Ireland players. But, then again, as an Englishman and former England backroom coach, he is likely to be far more balanced. He has also benefitted from being an assistant coach on past Lions tours, which will make a huge difference.Â
I coached the British and Irish Lions in 2005, but I wasn’t in the right mindset after winning the World Cup with England two years earlier
Andy Farrell (pictured) has landed the role for next year’s tour and is the perfect choice
The British and Irish Lions will be aiming to beat Australia just like they did back in 2013
Farrell is 100 per cent the right coach for the role. Based on how Ireland have performed in recent years, I will be fascinated to see how quickly he can get his ideas across, especially in an attacking sense. Leading the Lions is a really challenging role.
It is close to impossible, in my opinion, to escape the feeling you are giving away some of your rugby intellectual property by passing on your knowledge to coaches and players from other teams.
The 2025 Six Nations will be the acid test for Lions selection. However, based on the Autumn Nations Series which finishes on Saturday with Ireland against Australia, I would opt for Irish No8 Caelan Doris as my Lions captain.
He would form part of a strong Irish contingent in my team. I would urge Farrell to double down on this and not be tempted to select a captain from another nation just for a sense of appeasement. The brutal reality is that in the last four weeks, only a handful of England players have put their names up to be Lions starters. It sums up the state of English rugby both on and off the pitch.
I don’t think there have been many players across the home nations who have really made themselves Lions certainties, which is a worry.
In previous tours, Scotland have had underwhelming representation. But I’m sure that will change in Australia next year. Their captain Sione Tuipulotu is by far the best inside centre available.
I thought his midfield combination with Huw Jones went really well. Gregor Townsend and Steve Tandy were on the last Lions tour of South Africa as assistant coaches and I think they should certainly be in the frame again. To me, Scotland look a very good team. They brushed Australia aside and don’t forget, the Wallabies beat England and hammered Wales.
Scotland play good rugby, but I think there are two things holding them back from real Six Nations success – their forward pack and the mental capacity to deliver for a whole tournament. That’s why I think a combination of their backs with Ireland’s forwards for the Lions – with a sprinkling of English and Welsh talent – would be a good combination.Â
Wales are obviously in a whole world of trouble as a team. But in Tomos Williams, Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake, they have talented players who can thrive in a good side.
Flanker Jack Willis, who is currently unavailable for England because he plays his club rugby in France with Toulouse, undoubtedly makes my Lions XV.
I know he’s not playing international rugby right now due to the ridiculous RFU ruling on foreign players, but he’s undoubtedly a Lions first choice.
Of course, the French season clashes with the start of the tour. But, as I’ve constantly maintained, as a coach you want to pick the best players you can. And Willis is in that category.
The same applies to Owen Farrell and Henry Arundell, who are both at Racing 92 in Paris. But Farrell is currently injured and both players have been part of a struggling Racing team at the moment.
Ireland should have a strong contingent in the starting XV and I would make Caelan Doris captain of the team
Jack Willis is currently unavailable for England but he would make by British and Irish Lions team as he is flying for Toulouse
Willis, however, is playing phenomenal rugby. It says a lot about him that he is not only an automatic selection in a team as good as Toulouse, the record six-times European Cup winners including last season’s title, but also an occasional captain. Willis will bring power and grit to the Lions.
Australia have shown this autumn they won’t be any pushovers. The Wallabies, under Schmidt have brilliant talent, especially in the back line. Their pack is no pushover either. However, I think Farrell will believe the Lions can outpower Australia. They won’t want to get sucked into a loose game.
Rugby needs a brilliant Lions series with Australia, particularly after the last series in 2021 in South Africa was played behind closed doors due to Covid. And I’m certain that’s what we’ll see.
It won’t be the foregone conclusion some have predicted, due to Australia’s resurgence under Schmidt, but whoever Farrell picks, the Lions should win.
