Andy Farrell has put himself in a strong position to take charge of the British and Irish Lions in New Zealand in 2029, according to Lions bosses.

Farrell’s Lions missed out on a whitewash but the head coach has been well liked by his squad and got a lot of bold calls right

The Lions chief executive on Sunday said the appointment process for the New Zealand tour would not start until two years out but made it clear that Farrell was the frontrunner to take charge.