Andy Farrell the only man for the Lions hot seat

Sean Holley says that Andy Farrell is the only man for the job of taking the British and Irish Lions to Australia in 2025.

Farrell's current IRFU contract takes him up to that summer and, with Warren Gatland insisting today that his focus will be on rebuilding Welsh rugby in the coming years, the Ireland head coach is in pole position to be Lions head coach for the first time.

Gatland, in fact, has stated this week that Farrell is the new boss in waiting.

"He has done his bit for the Lions," said former Ospreys boss Holley of Gatland, who he previously worked with in the Wales set-up.

"To be fair, there's only one guy who can lead Welsh rugby at the moment, having got them to the quarter-final against the odds.

"I sat down with Gareth Chilcott and tried to pick a Lions team and there were about 10 or 11 Irish players in there, so it is a natural progression for Andy Farrell - and, dare I say it - his coaching staff to join him on the Lions tour."But not just because the bulk of the squad will be Irish. He’s proven himself, hasn’t he? But for one game (against New Zealand), at the death, Ireland could well have lifted that World Cup."We’ll never know. What we do know is it's certainly the best Irish team we have seen in a long, long time. If not the best - and he has presided over that development."So, for me, it is Andy Farrell hands down. It’s difficult to lock things in because a lot can happen between now and then.

"But having worked with him on two tours, he knows the Lions very well. For me, there will be a lot of Irish players on the squad too. He will have a lot of competition but it would be unbelievable to see it."