Gatland looks to bring Munster mentality to Lions

“A HUGE honour and extremely humbling” — that is how former Ireland and current Wales head coach, Warren Gatland, described his appointment as British and Irish Lions forwards coach yesterday for the 2009 Tour to South Africa.

While Gatland’s appointment to the Lions brains trust was predicted, the 2008 Grand Slam-winning coach has also said he is “massively” looking forward to working with the Ireland contingent next summer, given the distinct possibility he’ll link up with a clutch of players with whom he worked and first capped during the latter years of his Ireland tenure that lasted betwen1998 and 2001.

He also stated the Lions could borrow the Munster template for success and apply the Irish province’s “virtues” and team spirit to their group when eventually they set foot in South Africa in eight months’ time.