England coach Richard Wigglesworth will link up with the British & Irish Lions coaching team for the upcoming tour of Australia this summer.
Lions head coach Andy Farrell, who also coaches Ireland, is believed to have chosen a very Irish-heavy staffing group for the tour.
But former England scrum-half Wigglesworth, 41, is now expected to join the coaching party.
Also thought to be involved is interim Ireland head coach Simon Easterby, as well as Ireland attack and scrum coaches Andrew Goodman and John Fogarty.
Already confirmed are the appointments of Irish strength and conditioning lead Aled Walters and former Ireland performance director David Nucifora – who now works with Scotland.
The main Lions coaching team will be announced in full on Wednesday.
Richard Wigglesworth The Only England Coach For British & Irish Lions
At first, it was thought none of the England coaches would be going on this year’s Lions tour.
But a second-placed Six Nations finish has earned some credit for both players and staff wearing the Red Rose.
England head coach Steve Borthwick said after his side’s Super Saturday victory against Wales that none of his coaches had been approached about the Lions.
But in the week following, Farrell is said to have reached out to former England colleague Borthwick about Wigglesworth’s availability.
After an opening-day defeat in Dublin, England bounced back strongly.
They got better throughout the tournament, with one-point wins against France and Scotland.
And in rounds four and five, they comfortably beat Italy at home and inflicted a record-breaking defeat on Wales in Cardiff.
Lions Job The Next Step For Wigglesworth
Assuming he is appointed, this would be a major feather in the cap for a rapidly-developing coach in Wigglesworth.
Having won the Premiership seven times as a player, he took on a player-coaching role at Leicester Tigers.
And in 2022, when Steve Borthwick left Tigers to become England head coach, Wigglesworth was quickly given the top job at Welford Road.
He eventually followed Borthwick into the England setup, becoming a senior coach in October 2024.
When Is The British And Irish Lions Squad Announced?
Head coach Andy Farrell will name his coaching staff on Wednesday, 26 March.
The coaches will then come together before naming the full touring squad on Thursday, 8 May.
The first match of the 2025 Lions tour will see the Lions host Argentina in Dublin an a rare home fixture on Friday, 20 June.
They then travel to Australia, playing five warm-up games before the first of three tests against the Wallabies on Saturday, 19 July.
