British and Irish Lions: John Dalziel set to join coaching team

Ireland forward coach Paul O’Connell – a former Lions captain and three-times a tourist as a player – had been widely expected to take charge of the Lions pack.

But with O’Connell out of the running, Farrell has turned to Dalziel. The former Glasgow coach will share forwards duties with Fogarty, with Easterby likely to run the defence.

Wigglesworth will be given responsibilities around skills and attack as Farrell looks to tap into England’s best Six Nations performance in five years. England averaged five tries a game in the championship, up from 2.7 in the autumn.

Farrell will pick his playing squad on 8 May, with the Lions’ first match against Argentina in Dublin on 20 June.