Farrell and Rowntree: Heading to Australia with the Lions next year
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Warren Gatland is expected to name Graham Rowntree and Andy Farrell as part of his Lions coaching set-up next week.
The England coaches should be confirmed for the tour of Australia next year, along with Wales interim boss Rob Howley, when the official announcement is made on Wednesday.
Howley took charge of Wales for the early part of their November international campaign, with Gatland beginning his Lions work as he recovered from serious heel injuries suffered in an accident earlier this year.
He will also lead Wales into the Six Nations early in 2013 with Gatland concentrating on further Lions preparations ahead of the tour which begins on June 22 in Brisbane.
Rowntree was part of Ian McGeechan's team during the 2009 tour of South Africa, along with Howley, but it will be a first involvement for Farrell - who only retired from the playing ranks that year.
Andy Farrell and Graham Rowntree heading to Australia with the Lions next summer
Comments
Theshaw says...
Why on earth take Rob Howley? All he has masterminded is loss loss loss loss and then a loss to who? Austrlia!!!
The two English lads fair enough but Conor o'shea or better Joe Schmidt
Posted 20:41 08th December 2012
NHsaints says...
Seems like a no brainer but Howley has proved himself to have little merit after that autumn series as far as I'm concerned...Rowntree is undoubtably the best scrum and/or forwards coach in the NH if not the world, Farrel has been good at defence for England but I feel we need one coach in the mix with fantastic attacking imagination...we should have nabbed Schmidt from Leinster or Graham Henry from wherever he's at now.
Posted 20:41 08th December 2012
ArmchairGeneral says...
Oh and a Lions coach in Oz.
Posted 19:50 08th December 2012
Topper36 says...
As a Leinster fan I have to say the really missed a trick by not taking Joe Schmidt.
Posted 19:49 08th December 2012
ArmchairGeneral says...
Lawned; Andy Robinson instead of Gatland. He's a Brit, A Lion and a coach that can beat Oz.
Posted 19:48 08th December 2012
TVaddict says...
As an England fan it's annoying to lose our coaches in a rebuilding time for the team but they're the best choice for defence and forwards/scrum coach.
I have a problem with Howley going though. He's been attack coach in a team filled with talent and only managed the tactic of going wide off every phase and drifting into touch. He managed to coach Wales to being beaten by Australia 4 times this year, as well as loses to Samoa and Argentina. I think Wales should be getting rid of him rather than him being considered for the lions! Conor O'Shea would have been a good attack coach, or Josef Schmidt. Sad to say but warning signs already for a disappointing tour.
Posted 15:38 08th December 2012
lawynd says...
@liam2me - who from the Irish and Scottish coaching set-ups (or the regions even) would you have instead? Graham Rowntree is the undisputed best scrum coach in the British Isles and Andy Farrell masterminded the best defence of both the 6N, summer tours and autumn internationals. Howley is Gatland's right-hand man, so it's a bit of a no-brainer from where I'm sitting.
Posted 14:08 08th December 2012
Trinats2 says...
Two from Wales and two from England. Why not one from each nation ???
I'd swap any for Deans !!!
Posted 12:18 08th December 2012
liam2me says...
Oh dear god. This lions squad will be made up of Welsh and English mainly if this is true, Oz are there for the taking but it will end up like the Woodward tour
Posted 11:46 08th December 2012
ArmchairGeneral says...
Hmmmm.
Posted 10:02 08th December 2012