Andy Farrell has started to put in place his backroom staff for the British & Irish Lions tour of Australia with the appointments of David Nucifora, Aled Walters and Vinny Hammond.
ESPN reported Farrell was bringing on Nucifora and Walters last week, with this announcement marking the first step of Lions coach Farrell putting into place his backroom staff for Australia. Farrell, who is on sabbatical from his role as head coach of Ireland, will name his coaching staff after the Six Nations.
Farrell's first act as Lions coach is to bring in a trio of staff who he knows well. Nucifora takes on the role of general manager of performance, Walters is head of athletic performance while Hammond is head of analysis.
Nucifora joins on the Lions on secondment from Scottish Rugby. He knows Farrell well having previously worked at the IRFU for 10 years as performance director where he transformed the fortunes of the men's national side and their pathways.
Nucifora also brings an incredible knowledge of Australian rugby having been part of the Wallabies' 1991 World Cup-winning side and then spells as head coach of the Brumbies and general manager of the Australian Rugby Union's high performance unit. He presently works with Scotland as their performance director and will work with the Lions on a consultancy basis.
Walters is Ireland's head of athletic performance having left a similar role with England in August. He is regarded as one of the world's best operators in this role, having helped guide South Africa to the 2019 men's Rugby World Cup title. Hammond is on the IRFU's books and returns for his third tour as head of analysis.
"In David, Aled and Vinny we have three of the absolute best joining us for the Tour to Australia this summer, culminating in the highly anticipated Test series against the Wallabies," Farrell said.
"David's unrivalled experience will help us shape and deliver such a challenging and exciting rugby programme, whilst also bringing essential insight into Australian rugby and the country as a whole.
"Aled is a World Cup winner who has worked with players across England and Ireland and has also coached in Australia and Super Rugby with the Brumbies.
"And Vinny's Lions pedigree from touring New Zealand and South Africa brings continuity and Lions experience, which will be crucial to success down under."
Further Reading
- Six Nations: Ireland prop Tadhg Furlong to miss England game
- Six Nations: Alexander Masibaka added to injury-depleted Scotland squad
- Six Nations and Women's Six Nations: Full fixture list