Lions may strike deal for Top 14 stars – Farrell

The British and Irish Lions may negotiate with leading French clubs to allow players to be released early for the Australian tour this summer.

The Top 14 play-offs that clash with the Lions’ itinerary include Blair Kinghorn, Jack Willis, Ben White, Kyle Sinckler, and Jack White.

According to Lions head coach Andy Farrell, who spoke to Rugby Union Weekly, “A team in France might be open to a discussion about letting people go early.”

The Top 14 final, which marks the French rugby domestic season’s climax, takes place on June 28 in Paris.

The Lions’ first game on Australian soil will be against Perth’s Western Force on the same day, on the other side of the world.

Without travel and jet lag, the Top 14 finalist is unlikely to represent the Lions before their match against the Waratahs on July 5, just before Australia’s first Test.

The Lions have precedent in negotiations regarding the club’s early signings in France.

Before they left for Australia, Welsh prop Gethin Jenkins, whose contract with Toulon was about to expire, was given the go-ahead to join Warren Gatland’s Lions.

Owen Farrell returned for his part in Racing 92’s Saturday away victory over Clermont Auvergne after two months out with an injury.

The 33-year-old fly-half, who has 112 England caps and has three seasons with the Lions, may return to action right away after the final round of regular-season Top 14 games on June 7 because Racing are 12th in the table and in a difficult position to earn a play-off spot.

The captain’s appointment wasn’t revealed until shortly before the squad’s announcement on May 8th, according to head coach Farrell, who estimated there could be six candidates for the Lions captaincy.

He said, “The list contains maybe four, five, or six.”

When you narrow it down, “you want to fit this number to fit the schedule, what you need, and which hybrid players can play in different positions,” and then you take into account who the leaders are, how the dynamics of a leadership group are, and how they are going to be themselves and able to be comfortable in and around all that.

Instead of jumping right in, it takes a little bit of a process.

Farrell also confirmed that each member of his coaching team still has the final say in what they do.

Prior to his assistants’ appointment, he earlier on Wednesday revealed Simon Easterby, Richard Wigglesworth, John Dalziel, Andrew Goodman, and John Fogarty.

England and Ireland’s attacking teams are run by Wigglesworth and Goodman, respectively.