LONDON (Reuters) – Andy Farrell was named British & Irish Lions head coach in January 2025 for the tour to Australia. Born on May 30, 1975 in Wigan, England, Farrell had a successful playing career in rugby league and later switched to rugby union.
He made his debut for rugby league club Wigan at 16 years old in 1991 and went on to play for Britain 34 times, England’s rugby league side 11 times, and for Wigan in various competitions, including the Rugby League World Cup. Farrell was awarded an OBE for his contributions to the game in 2004 and was named rugby league’s International Player of the Year the same year. He also became the second player to score over 3,000 points for Wigan as well as Super League’s highest points scorer.
In 2005, Farrell transitioned to Rugby Union, playing for Saracens and representing England in international matches. His playing career concluded in 2009. Thereafter, Farrell began his coaching career, starting as a skills coach at Saracens before joining the coaching staff for England in 2011. He then moved to Ireland to work as the defence coach and later the head coach, during which time Ireland became the number one rugby team in the world according to World Rugby’s rankings. Farrell’s coaching successes earned him the title of World Rugby Coach of the Year.
On Jan. 11, Farrell was appointed head coach of the British & Irish Lions for the 2025 tour to Australia. Farrell’s extensive experience as a player and coach makes him a respected figure in the rugby world, and his leadership and dedication to the sport have been recognized through numerous accolades and achievements.
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