Paul O'Connell named interim Ireland head coach for summer tour

Paul O’Connell has been officially appointed as interim head coach of the Ireland rugby team for their upcoming 2025 summer tour.

The decision comes as current head coach Andy Farrell prepares to lead the British and Irish Lions on their highly anticipated tour of Australia.

O’Connell, who has served as Ireland’s forwards coach since 2021, will step into the top role for the first time at international level.

The summer tour will serve as a valuable opportunity for O’Connell to showcase his coaching credentials in a head coach capacity. The 45-year-old has played 108 times for Ireland between 2002 and 2015 and also featured for the British and Irish Lions in seven games. He also had racked up 178 appearances for Munster between 2002 and 2015.

He will be supported by the rest of Ireland’s existing coaching team, with no major shake-ups expected.

Ireland's summer tour is expected to feature a series of challenging fixtures, providing a platform to test squad depth and introduce emerging talent ahead of the next Rugby World Cup cycle.

While details of the tour schedule have yet to be formally announced, it is anticipated that the team will travel to the Southern Hemisphere to face top-tier opposition.