Gatland the perfect choice to lead professional Lions to Oz

It quickly became apparent something was stirring on the Lions front on Monday afternoon when RTÉ and the BBC contacted me to discuss speculation that Warren Gatland had been offered the job of coaching the touring party on their return to Australia in 2013.

One of the reasons that BBC Wales are so interested in the story is that some still believe a foreigner should not be leading the Lions. It evoked memories of Graham Henry’s appointment in 2001 and the fact that some of the Welsh players on that tour had issues with the New Zealander for not picking them in the Test sides.

That ill feeling lingered into the following domestic season and remained an issue within the Welsh camp.