Jo Yapp appointed head coach of British & Irish Lions Women for 2027 New Zealand Tour

Jo Yapp has been appointed head coach of the British & Irish Lions Women’s team for their 2027 Tour of New Zealand, the Lions confirmed, making her the first person to lead the side in what will be the team’s inaugural tour.

Yapp, 46, currently serves as England Rugby’s Head of Women’s Pathway — a position she took up in January — and will move into the Lions role on a part-time basis from July before transitioning to full-time in the New Year. She edged out Red Roses head coach John Mitchell, the reigning World Rugby Coach of the Year, who had been widely considered the frontrunner for the position in his native New Zealand.

“To lead the first-ever British & Irish Lions Women’s Team is an incredible honour and something I’m immensely proud of,” Yapp said upon her appointment. “The Lions represents the very best of our sport, and this Tour to New Zealand is an opportunity to create something truly special and help shape the future of women’s rugby for years to come.”

Yapp brings a record of firsts to the role. When she was appointed Wallaroos head coach in December 2023, she became the first woman to hold that position. She led Australia to a Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 quarter-final, where they were beaten 46-5 by Canada, finishing her tenure with eight wins from 21 games — a winning percentage of 38.1 per cent.

Before her time in Australia, Yapp served as Director of Rugby at Worcester Warriors in the Premiership Women’s Rugby competition, having joined the club as an assistant in 2019. She also coached the Barbarians Women on two occasions, spent eight years leading the University of Exeter Women’s side — winning multiple BUCS titles — and had a five-year stint in charge of England Under-20s Women.

As a player, Yapp was no less distinguished. A scrum-half, she earned 70 Test caps for England across a 12-year international career, scoring 90 points for her country and representing the Red Roses at the 1998 and 2002 Women’s Rugby World Cups.

“I know from experience how challenging it is to face the Black Ferns on home soil, but that challenge is exactly what makes this Tour so exciting,” Yapp added. “There is an enormous amount of talent across the four unions and I’m looking forward to bringing together the very best players to represent the Lions in 2027.”

Yapp will select her squad from players across England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales ahead of the September 2027 tour.