The British and Irish Lions does not tend to be an understated venture, as the unveiling of Andy Farrell’s assistant coaches proved. For those in need of a reminder of the quadrennial touring side’s iconography, a room awash with shirts and souvenirs promoting the upcoming trip Down Under would have been ideal, badged breasts all around on mannequins and the assembled Lions grandees and flunkeys as Farrell revealed his staff at the home of their kit manufacturer.
There were five men in branded polos that mattered more than the rest, though, with Simon Easterby, John Fogarty, John Dalziel, Andrew Goodman and Richard Wigglesworth soon joining their boss up on stage. It has been a busy week for the group of assistants, this unique assembly requiring a rapid building of bridges as challenging for coaches as it will be for the players once selected on 8 May. After gathering at a plush London hotel on Monday night, Farrell and his staff were almost immediately down to business on Tuesday, hashing out a long-list of potential tourists about 75 names long – before escaping to a branch of Hawksmoor for a steak dinner.
