John Fogarty is already imagining how a Lions Tour can transform his own coaching career – but his first priority was preventing the leak in his own family.
The Ireland scrum coach found out he was going to be one of Andy Farrell’s assistant coaches for the 2025 British & Irish Lions Tour to Australia during the recent Guinness Six Nations, joining Ireland colleagues Simon Easterby and Andrew Goodman, as well as John Dalziel of Scotland and England’s Richard Wigglesworth.
Knowing that the official announcement was going to come after the conclusion of the Championship, Fogarty knew it was vital to stay tight-lipped, except that message did not quite land with his seven-year-old daughter Jessica.
Fogarty explained: “I came in and told my wife and kids and explained that it was in Australia, we were going to go and the rugby was going to be there. I said it’s really important that we keep this a secret because Andy hasn’t selected all his staff. They all said, ‘No problem, Dad’.
“Then shortly afterwards Jessica said she was going to the next-door neighbours. She knocked on the door and said ‘Can I come in and play? But I can’t stay long because we’re going to Australia to watch some rugby.’ So that let the cat out of the bag immediately, the neighbours across the road were saying congratulations! That’s my Jessica, she’s the leak!”
Now that he is officially allowed to talk about his appointment, Fogarty is relishing the chance to be part of the famous touring squad.
He has enjoyed plenty of success down the years, working at Leinster and Ireland and helping them set the platform for title-winning groups.
But just as important on a long tour where the matches come thick and fast, is having someone to keep the atmosphere light.
From the moment he trotted out a mock northern accent on stage to talk about Farrell, it was clear that Fogarty would have a big role to play in that regard.
He said: “I’ve been involved with Leinster for a number of years and Ireland for a number of years and we have had some great days. But there is something a bit different about the Lions, it feels a little bit special and I’m looking forward to it.
“There is huge opportunity that comes with these tours but there is a certain amount of pressure, any player that is picked is representing their families, their friends, their clubs, their country. So having a few minutes during the week to alleviate that pressure, have a bit of fun and connect us together, it’s not a bad thing. Hopefully I can help along the way.
“One of the great things about a Lions Tour is that you get to go and work with different players and different coaches, that really excites me. Figuring things out together and getting to know what makes them tick is going to be brilliant. Hopefully I come back a better coach.”
