Andy Farrell’s squad have come together for the first time ahead of a busy summer – with some new additions revealed
Andy Farrell’s British & Irish Lions squad have assembled in full for the first time, with three new Welshmen confirmed to be part of this summer’s tour of Australia.
The 38-man squad, which was named earlier this month, will face the Wallabies in three Tests in July, with a warm-up match against Argentina up first on June 20. With just over a month to go, Farrell’s men came together for the first time on Sunday as part of a two-day gathering in south-west London, during which they will collect their kit, tick off admin and bond as a group.
Wales captain Jac Morgan was the last to arrive on Sunday evening, having flown in from South Africa where he had been in action for the Ospreys. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.
The back rower is one of just two Wales players in the squad, making up the lowest Welsh contingent on a Lions tour in nearly 90 years alongside Gloucester scrum-half Tomos Williams.
The squad is instead dominated by Irish and English players – with 15 and 13 representatives respectively – while eight Scottish players have also made the cut.
Farrell’s coaching team also, unsurprisingly, has a strong Irish feel with Simon Easterby, John Fogarty, Johnny Sexton, Vinny Hammond and Ireland backs coach Andrew Goodman all on board.
Carmarthen-born Aled Walters is the lone Welshman on the coaching ticket as head of athletic performance, while assistants John Danziel and Richard Wigglesworth represent Scotland and England respectively.
However, there will actually be three additional Wales representatives joining Morgan, Williams and Walters and heading on tour.
Analyst Rhodri Bown, doctor Geoff Davies and physiotherapist John Miles have all been included in Farrell’s staff for the tour of Australia.
All three were taken on the last Lions tour by head coach Warren Gatland, who raided 10 staff from Wales to join his team before heading to South Africa.
Bown has worked at the Welsh Rugby Union for over 20 years, taking over from Rhys Long as Head of Performance Analysis in 2016, while he has been part of the last five Lions tours.
Leading sports physician Davies has served as Wales’ national team doctor since 2012, having previously worked for Cardiff Rugby and Wales U18s.
Miles, meanwhile, is Wales’ senior national squad physiotherapist and has previously served as head of medical services at Cardiff as well as holding physio roles at the Scarlets, Harlequins and rugby league sides.
He was also part of the physiotherapy staff for Team Wales at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, having started his career at Southampton FC.
“This coaching group has versatility and are interchangeable in their skillset, which is a vital asset to have on a Lions Tour,” said Farrell as he announced his coaching ticket in March.
“I think we have a fantastic mix and every one of these guys will bring their own character and personality to the team.”
