Andy Farrell on track to lead the Lions in 2029
The chief executive, Ben Calveley, has backed Andy Farrell’s credentials to continue as head coach of the British and Irish Lions on the 2029 tour to New Zealand. Farrell led the Lions to their first series win since 2013, with Saturday’s 22-12 defeat of the Wallabies in Sydney being their only loss in their nine matches in Australia.Although their march towards triumph was halted at the last hurdle, the 50-year-old Irish coach has overseen a successful tour notable for its results, team cohesion, commitment to the game of rugby and the character shown to win the second Test in the final seconds.
Planning for 2029 is already underway, and Calveley promises a structure and number of matches similar to the recently completed itinerary, although the last midweek match will be closely analyzed due to the disruption it causes to Test preparations. Farrell is the favorite to lead that expedition and Calveley suggests that the most coveted position in British and Irish rugby is currently his to lose.
“I go back to when I first met him to offer him the position. It could be seen at that moment that we had made the right decision in appointing Andy. “Since he started full-time in December, he has brought a real focus to the operation which, ultimately, has resulted in success on the field. Now we will give him some time off.” “When it comes to our appointments for future tours, we will begin the process in about two years and I don’t think it’s right to comment on where it ends up. But it has certainly been put in a very solid position, let’s put it that way.” Australia entered the series ranked eighth in the world, and their credibility as a Lions tour destination was at stake before the opening match at Suncorp Stadium.“Andy has done an incredible job and I have really enjoyed working with him,” said Calveley.

“It’s 100% our ambition to return and we would like the next one to be bigger and better than this one.” The Lions are seen as potentially vulnerable to the proposed new breakaway R360 league, but Calveley insists that their pulling power remains as strong as ever.“I absolutely plan to return to Australia. I know there has been a lot of speculation about whether that would be the case or not, but we’ve had a wonderful tour here,” Calveley said.
“We all know that we have our place on the calendar integrated into regulation 9 and I don’t see that changing in the future. “Our relationship with professional gaming is better than ever and I see that continuing in the future.”“They’ve seen these quotes coming from players at every stage of the tour, who remain absolutely committed to the Lions,” he said.