Simon Easterby is as well-placed as anyone to understand the challenges of gelling with unfamiliar teammates on a British & Irish Lions Tour – and he wants to use that experience to help shape his approach as a coach.

Fresh from leading Ireland during the Guinness Six Nations, including bringing home a Triple Crown, Easterby has been named as an assistant coach to Andy Farrell with the Lions, alongside Ireland colleagues John Fogarty and Andrew Goodman, Scotland’s John Dalziel and England’s Richard Wigglesworth.

It means that 20 years after playing for the Lions on the 2005 Tour to New Zealand, he will get the chance to coach them in Australia.

That New Zealand experience saw Easterby called up as a replacement for the injured Lawrence Dallaglio during the Tour, jetting in and making an immediate impression as he earned a spot in the Test team for the second and third Tests against the All Blacks.

It is little wonder then, that he believes bringing a group together over such a short space of time is the main priority for the coaching staff.

He explained: “The Lions is the biggest challenge but also the most exciting challenge. It’s the opportunity to bring four groups of players together, in a really short space of time, to go and play together.

“Over years in international rugby, you work to try to create that camaraderie, the mateship. They will know each other but they won’t really know each other.

“So it’s how quickly we understand that and how quickly we can gel as a group. How much of a connection we can have as coaches will transcend to the players, and they will see us connecting.

“We’ve already had that in 24 hours together, I’ve loved the time with John (Dalziel) and Wiggy, Faz is massive on connections and being ourselves.

“That has already started, the challenge is huge, how quickly we can become a team. The exciting thing is what a group of players to work with and what a group to go and attack the series with.

“It doesn’t get any bigger for players, we understand that as coaches, and it also doesn’t get any bigger for coaches either.”

It has been a whirlwind year for Easterby, who filled in as Ireland coach in the absence of Farrell during the Six Nations, and now will get the chance to join his long-time boss Down Under.

As Ireland defence coach, Easterby has worked under both the Lions boss and the man charged with masterminding Australia’s challenge – Joe Schmidt.

With Schmidt renowned for his ability to break down opposition defences from first-phase ball, Easterby knows he will have his hands full.

He added: “You work so long and closely with people like Joe, then inevitably you will have connections with them for life. I’ve got a huge respect for him and what he’s done and what he’s achieved in a short space of time in Australia. We know he’ll have them in great shape come the series.

“We know that is a Joe Schmidt trademark, the way he likes to attack in the game, so there are plenty of challenges for me and the group to defend in a way that allows us to be aggressive and stop them having time and space.

“It’s starting to become real, this brings it home to you, just how big it is and what a privilege it is. There are lots of emotions, our focus will shift quickly to selection, the way we want to play the game, the way we connect as a team and how quickly we can do that.”

It all comes back to connections, with Easterby explaining just how he feels the players need to respond when they find out they have been picked on May 8.

He said: “For us, it’s about allowing players to feel comfortable in an environment where they know it’s the best of the best if they get selected. They have to park their egos and make sure they are open-minded around the way we play the game.

“It will be four teams trying to create a style of play quickly which can be quite difficult. It will be the style of how we attack, how we defend, the scrum and maul – all the things we would have understanding of when we are watching each team and coaching Ireland, for those of us who are involved with Ireland, but then getting the right balance for this playing group and using the strengths of the group.

“How quickly we can gel that together is a lot to do with the way we coach but a lot to do with whether the players come in with that open mind. Hopefully the ones who are selected will be super excited around the opportunity that it presents.”