Jonathan Sexton has been confirmed as British and Irish Lions kicking coach taking over the role from Wales legend Neil Jenkins who held the role over a number of tours. Jonathan Sexton had been involved with Ireland on a part time basis through the November series of 2024 into the 6 Nations 2025.
First though before he goes back to the IRFU on a full time basis, he will have a British and Irish Lions tour in Australia to be involved with. He joins three other Irish based coaches in the Lions coaching ticket namely John Fogarty, Andrew Goodman and Simon Easterby.
Andy Farrell has clearly gone for men he trusts and who will challenge his position in terms of team selection and player selection when the squad is being picked before being announced on May 8th. Sexton will have to learn on the hoof as this particular tour will flash by.
He of course can look back on his time as a player on the 2013 and 2017 tours as a reference point but this time he is a coach and will need to draw on his early experience in the Irish set up to help him bed in and settle quickly.
After his duty on the tour in Australia is over he will then return and take up a full time position with the IRFU as a coach who will help out with numerous teams including underage Irish teams and up to and including the senior team. It is smart move by the IRFU to get a man of Sexton’s quality back on board, his brother Mark is moving to be part of Richie Murphy’s staff in Ulster beginning next season.
The IRFU are doing good ground work to help evolve and improve Andy Farrell’s coaching ticket and you can be certain that Johnny’s brains will be picked in an attacking sense and he will support the 10s in the Irish set up including young talent as well as established players like Prendergast and Crowley.
He will have an impact on the Lions tour you can have no doubt while working alongside Richard Wigglesworth in particular they will come up with a few unseen trick plays no doubt using the play book of Joe Schmidt against him.
Only time will tell of course whether this move will work out on a full time basis but you have to admire the IRFU for taking the chance and appointing Sexton to full time position…..