John Dalziel named as British & Irish Lions Assistant Coach

A stalwart of the game in Scotland, Dalziel has been rewarded for his work with the national team and has been selected by the Lions ahead of their 10-game tour this year which gets under way in Dublin on Saturday 20 June against Argentina. The tour will culminate in three tests against the Wallabies.

Dalziel joined the national team as assistant coach in August 2020 following a successful stint in a similar role with Glasgow Warriors. Previously John had been head coach of the Scotland 7s national team as well the head coach of Scotland U20, leading them to a best-ever finish of fifth at the 2017 World Rugby U20 Championship in Georgia. The side contained current full internationals Darcy Graham, Blair Kinghorn and Matt Fagerson.

As a player, Dalziel represented Scotland Sevens on the World Series and played his club rugby with Gala, London Scottish, Border Reivers and Melrose, before moving into coaching, where he enjoyed great success with the latter.

John joins head coach Andy Farrell along with fellow assistants Simon Easterby (Ireland), John Fogarty (Ireland), Andrew Goodman (Ireland) and Richard Wigglesworth (England).

After being chosen in the coaching team for the 2025 British & Irish Lions Tour John Dalziel said: “Being selected as assistant coach for the British and Irish Lions is the pinnacle for any coach and is something I’m hugely honoured about. It’s a real pinch yourself moment.

“I’ve heard a lot of stories about the Lions and grew up watching the tours and documentaries. This will be more intense than anything I’ve ever experienced given the frequency and importance of the games. It’s a massively exciting opportunity.

“I am appreciative of Scottish Rugby for the experiences I’ve been given here which has allowed me to be selected. Throughout my time here I’ve always focused on keeping my head down and working hard to be the best coach I can be for Scotland. I’m fortunate that someone has seen something in that work to appoint me in this role.”

The squad for the British & Irish Lions tour will be announced on Thursday 8 May.

Dalziel said: “We have our first coaches meeting this week in London and I would imagine the topic of selection will be high on the agenda. The players still have a lot of rugby to be played between now and the final selection so even guys who missed out on the Six Nations through injury could still make a case to go on tour.

“The depth and quality of the players we have in Scotland is really encouraging and I’m optimistic that we’ll be well represented.”