Warren Gatland, the head coach for the British and Irish Lions, has appointed Rob Howley, Steve Borthwick and Andy Farrell to assist him during the upcoming 2017 New Zealand tour; in addition, he has not ruled out the possibility of welcoming Ben Ryan to the team, who is the former coach of the Fiji Sevens.
An unbeatable combination?
Andy Farrell is no stranger to the assistant coaching role, having previously worked with Gatland in 2013 when the Lions defeated Australia. His experience as defence coach for England under the management of Stuart Lancaster, and now as Ireland’s defence coach, means that he thoroughly understands the abilities of the team. This should stand the team in good stead for this upcoming tour.
Rob Howley, who is currently coaching Wales as Gatland takes a sabbatical, will take on the role of backs coach, with Borthwick using his lineout knowledge to guide the forwards. With each bringing their own unique skill set and expertise to the team, the Lions look to have a well-rounded group of coaches that should help to steer them to victory next year.
A balance of continuity and fresh perspectives
Gatland explained that it was important to retain an element of continuity due to the limited preparation time available to the team. With a combination of Lions team coaching experience and some fresh input in the form of Steve Borthwick, Gatland is looking forward to getting started with the aim of delivering a series of positive results for British and Irish rugby.
Gatland has also expressed his desire to call on some individuals with specialist knowledge and experience; for example, he has not ruled out bringing on Ben Ryan at some point in the near future.
If you are looking to get some practice in yourself in time for the tour, rugby drill video series, such as those available from https://www.sportplan.net/drills/Rugby/, will help you to brush up on your skills and tactics in time for next summer’s sporting action.
The Lion’s tour of New Zealand will begin in June 2017 and they will play three tests. They will be looking to improve on the results from their last New Zealand tour back in 2005, when they lost each of their three tests under the coaching staff headed by Clive Woodward.
