Jo Yapp picks Andy Farrell’s brain on how to win British & Irish Lions tour

Jo Yapp is preparing the women’s British & Irish Lions for their 2027 tour of New Zealand. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho/Shutterstock View image in fullscreen Jo Yapp is preparing the women’s British & Irish Lions for their 2027 tour of New Zealand. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho/Shutterstock Jo Yapp picks Andy Farrell’s brain on how to win British & Irish Lions tour Women’s head coach to select staff for New Zealand tour ‘My plan is to pick the brains of those who have gone before’ Jo Yapp, the women’s British & Irish Lions head coach, revealed that she has spoken to Andy Farrell to pick “the brains of those who have gone before” as she begins her preparations for the inaugural tour. Yapp, who was in charge of Australia at the World Cup last year, was appointed last month as the head coach for the 2027 women’s Lions tour of New Zealand. Farrell was the head coach of the men’s winning tour of Australia in 2025 and is the Ireland head coach. The Breakdown | ‘Everyone hates us, don’t they?’: Mo Hunt on why England won’t tire of dominating women’s rugby The 46-year-old said: “I think it is really important to draw on the experiences before. I have already spoken to Andy Farrell, who was really helpful, so my plan is to make sure we pick the brains of those who have gone before because it would be naive not to use that experience. “He was super open, which was really lovely. One of the things he talked about in terms of when you are pulling together your staff is that you get the right people there. The people you trust, you can work with. I think that is massively important for me when I am considering people to bring together.” Yapp has not yet selected the rest of her coaching staff and said it will be about “getting the best people in the room” to be as “strong as we can and to create the best environment for the players”. It has not been confirmed when the rest of the coaches will be announced. A worry for fans is that the Lions team will be made up mainly of England players, with the Red Roses an all-conquering side in the women’s game. The team are world champions and are on a winning run of 38 consecutive games.