Former England rugby captain Jo Yapp has made history after being appointed as the first ever head coach of the British and Irish Lions Women team ahead of their inaugural tour to New Zealand in 2027.
Yapp who earned 70 caps for England during her playing career said leading the first Lions women’s side is a huge honour and an opportunity to create something special for the future of women’s rugby.
The 46 year old former scrum half represented England in three Rugby World Cups and captained the team in the 2006 final. She has also coached England Women Under 20s Worcester Warriors Women and the Barbarians before guiding Australia to the quarter finals of the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup.
The Lions Women team will begin their historic tour with a warm up match against a Black Ferns XV in Whangarei on September 4 before playing three Test matches in Auckland Wellington and Christchurch.
Speaking after her appointment Yapp said she is excited by the challenge of facing New Zealand on home soil and believes there is huge talent across England Ireland Scotland and Wales.
British and Irish Lions chief executive Ben Calverley praised Yapp’s experience across international rugby and said her appointment is an important step in growing the women’s game and supporting female coaches.
Yapp will begin working part time with the Lions from July before taking full time charge from January through a sabbatical from her current role with the Rugby Football Union.
Attention will now turn to the coaching staff that Yapp could build around her. Several well known names from England Wales Ireland and Scotland are already being discussed as possible additions to the Lions coaching team.
Possible candidates include former Wales captain Rachel Taylor current Wales coach Sean Lynn England coaches Sarah Hunter Emily Scarratt and Louis Deacon as well as experienced coaches Giselle Mather and Susie Appleby.
From Ireland former players Niamh Briggs and Tania Rosser are also being linked while Scotland’s Claire Cruikshank could be another option.
The creation of the first British and Irish Lions Women team is being seen as a major milestone for women’s rugby and one of the biggest developments in the sport’s modern era.
