Andy Farrell has announced that he will be taking several of his Ireland coaches with him on the British & Irish Lions tour of Australia this summer. The head coach has opted to include just a single Englishman in his coaching ranks, with Richard Wigglesworth included alongside Scotland's John Dalziel.

With his staff now confirmed, Farrell will now turn his attention to announcing his final squad at a live ceremony at The O2 in May. A clash with Argentina in June will be the Lions’ first clash as a new team, prior to jetting off to Perth.

Farrell has leaned on working with those who he has spent time with previously. With the most eye-catching of Farrell’s appointments being Simon Easterby, who will join the Lions just a matter of weeks after he lead the Irish team as interim head coach during the Six Nations.

Easterby was expected to remain in that role for Ireland’s Tests against Georgia and Portugal, but that plan has now been altered after accepting an invite from Farrell to be a part of his set-up.

Ireland are set to be without several key figures for those aforementioned clashes, with Andrew Goodman and John Fogerty both joining the Lions' team as well. Paul O’Connell was reportedly approached to be a part of the Lions team but rejected the invite and will instead take charge of Ireland which Farrell and Easterby are away.

Wigglesworth will be England’s sole representative in the setup, having worked with Farrell during their time together at Saracens. Wigglesworth will go with the blessing of Steve Borthwick, who has previously encouraged both players and staff to be a part of the Lions team if the opportunity arose – having enjoyed the experience immensely in 2017 when he was assistant.

Scotland’s Dalziel has been brought in by Farrell as well, with no Welsh coaches included.

Speaking about his team, Farrell said: “Putting together a Lions coaching team is an honour and a privilege - and the five phone calls made to this group of coaches reminds you just how special and unique it is. This coaching group has versatility and are interchangeable in their skillset, which is a vital asset to have on a Lions Tour.

“I think we have a fantastic mix and every one of these guys will bring their own character and personality to the team. A Lions Tour is all about understanding the demands that we will face on and off the pitch and a fresh perspective amongst this coaching group is something that I am really excited by.”

Full coach list: Andy Farrell, John Dalziel, Richard Wigglesworth, Simon Easterby, John Fogarty, Andrew Goodman.