Andy Farrell

AFTER TWO UNBEATEN TOURS AS A SIDEKICK, WILL THE LIONS' HEAD COACH ENJOY HIS FINEST HOUR?

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ANDY FARRELL already has his moment in British & Irish Lions lore. As assistant coach running defence on the 2013 tour to Australia, Farrell sat down with the squad ahead of the third and decisive Test with the series tied at one-all. Knowing the significance of the weekend ahead, he gave a speech. "Because there is no tomorrow... there is no tomorrow.

We are taking them boys to the hurt arena this weekend," Farrell said, stern-faced, eyeballing the squad. "Because our mentality is going to be a different mentality than what the British Lions teams have had over the last 16 years. A different mentality because over the last 16 years it has been about failure."

That weekend the Lions went out and wiped the floor with the Wallabies. A thumping 41-16 victory secured a first tour series win since South Africa 1997. Farrell's speech may not be quite that of Sir Ian McGeechan or Jim Telfer before him but it was a resounding factor in the side's performance and was enough to pencil him into the Lions history books. This year, 2025, Farrell can turn that pencil into fine ink as he takes on the role of head coach and hunts a first Lions series win since that moment 12 years ago.

The standard response to someone being named a Lion, either as a player or a coach, is to talk about the honour that has been bestowed upon them and how it has been a dream of theirs since they were a little boy. When Farrell was selected, he could only talk to the first part.