Meet Australia’s secret weapon for the British and Irish Lions tour: Wallabies recruit expert for 2025 series
- Australia has signed the former England manager
- Geoff Parling will be the team’s lineout specialist
- The Wallabies will host the Lions in 2025
Australia have hired lineout specialist Geoff Parling in a major coup ahead of the visit of the British and Irish Lions next year.
Parling, 40, had previously worked for England as a set-piece expert and has been based in Australia since joining the Melbourne Rebels in 2018.
He will be familiar with his surroundings at the Wallabies, having worked as an assistant coach under Dave Rennie in 2020.
Parling will have around just over two months to get the Australians up and running seamlessly before Wales visit for a two-Test tour this winter, followed by a Test against Georgia.
Australia next takes part in the Rugby Championship against South Africa, Argentina and New Zealand before embarking on the autumn tour of Great Britain.
Geoff Parling has joined the Wallabies as the team’s lineout expert
The new coach previously played for England as a second rower and coached for his country
Parling will face England coach Steve Borthwick, a lineout specialist, at Twickenham on Saturday, November 9, in the ultimate test of his coaching expertise in this area.
He faced the Aussies on the 2013 Lions tour but will be on the other side of the rivalry in 2025, and revealed how the opportunity to work with internationally acclaimed coach Joe Schmidt convinced him to join the Wallabies to close.
‘I spoke to Joe a few times when he joined the Rebels. I have heard a lot of good things about Joe in the past, so I am very excited to be working with him on the coaching team,” said Parling.
‘He is very down-to-earth, sees the game consistently and prepares well. I think he’s good at the basics and he’s got the basics right. Once you have that, a little bit of genius will come.
“I’m quite familiar with the majority of the players who come through coaching or coaching against them on a regular basis. “I feel like the little differences we have in Super Rugby teams can be brought together and aligned so that we can be a big strength as a forward side with the Wallabies.”
Schmidt said: “Geoff has played and coached in the professional game for over twenty years. His understanding of the lineout, together with his Super Rugby knowledge and previous experience with the Wallabies, will add value to our coaching group.”