Ireland head coach Andy Farrell has been backed by new Welsh boss Warren Gatland to coach the British and Irish Lions on their tour to Australia in 2025.
Gatland has returned to helm with Wales having previously managed the side between 2007-2019. In addition to that, Gatland coached the Lions on tours to Australia (2013), New Zealand (2017) and South Africa (2021).
Farrell took over from Joe Schmidt as Ireland boss after the 2019 World Cup. Since then, the English born manager has earned plenty of praise as Ireland have earned big scalps over New Zealand and South Africa among others in recent times.
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Today, Gatland seemingly ruled himself out of taking on the Lions for a fourth tour, and highlighted Farrell's success as manager of Ireland.
“If you are picking a Lions coach at the moment, there is only one person that I think is in contention,” Gatland said, during a Principality Stadium press conference on Tuesday.
“And he is across the water and living in Dublin at the minute. If you are successful, those opportunities come along.
“I hadn’t even thought about that (Lions tour). I am just thinking about the next 10 months.
“I am well aware of how important the Six Nations and World Cup are next year.
“I don’t plan my pathway. I am a believer of if you are in the right place at the right time, then opportunities come along. What will be, will be.”
In terms of the Welsh job, Gatland is yet to speak to former head coach Wayne Pivac's backroom team and hasn't decided on his own coaching ticket.
“I haven’t spoken to any of the coaches,” he added. “There was a review process conducted by the union, and I am going through that process at the moment.
“I’ve got to make sure that I do the right thing and make the best decision for Wales and the team. That’s ongoing at the moment.”
With the Six Nations right around the corner, all eyes will be on Wales to see how they get on. And it will be a tough start for Gatland, as Andy Farrell's World number one Ireland head to Cardiff.
“It’s probably good, as they are the best team in the world, and rightly so.
“Getting them first up at home is not the worst thing. It’s a tournament of momentum. You win your first game and you’ve got a good chance of doing well.
“To get them first up, it’s probably the one game you want at home – playing against the best team where there is probably a bit more pressure on them.
“I think we will be pretty excited about getting ready for the game.
“My upbringing in New Zealand, we always believed if you work hard, you get results.
“That has always been my attitude, never ever afraid to take something on and believe if you do something, you can do something special.
“I wouldn’t be here doing the job unless I thought we were capable of winning things.”
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