Row brewing as Lions hunt for head coach

THE British and Irish Lions’ tour of Australia may be three years away, but a row is already breaking out about who will lead them down under.

After Ian McGeechan’s stellar leadership of last summer’s tour to South Africa, there were always going to be big boots to fill.

But at yesterday’s announcement that the Lions will play the tour opener in Hong Kong against the Barbarians, it became clear the selection of the next head coach will be a difficult task.

Andy Irvine, who has been appointed tour manager revealed that the chosen man must have a strong link with the Lions – essentially meaning he must have gone on tour, either as a player or on the coaching staff, before.

That puts the name of Warren Gatland, the forward’s coach under McGeechan, firmly in the frame. Yet Irvine also said that the candidate needs to be free to work on the job full-time for a year before the tour which, on the day that Gatland signed a contract extension with Wales, taking him up to the 2015 World Cup, would be problematic.

After that the candidates swiftly dry up, with Irvine refusing to rule McGeechan out of the running, despite the Scot’s insistence that the tour to South Africa would be his last.

All in all, it could prove quite a quandary for the Lions to overcome.

“Ideally we’d like the head coach in place at least 12 months before the tour, but preferably 18 months and possibly even 21 months,” said Irvine.

“There are one or two front runners and it’s not rocket science to see who they are.

“A big problem is the availability of coaches because this is a serious commitment.

“It’s not feasible for a head coach to run a national side in the Six Nations prior to the tour because it would be asking too much. But we’ll be speaking to the WRU to see what level of commitment he (Gatland) must give to them as opposed to the Lions. It’s theoretically possible to coach the Lions and be the head coach of a national side in the Six Nations immediately prior, but it’s unlikely. If we weren’t looking for a complete release of Warren by the WRU, then certainly a partial release (would be an option).”

Such stipulations could mean a recall for Lions legend, McGeechan.

Irvine added: “We’ve very much got an open mind on Geech – his record speaks for itself, he’s Lions through to the core and did a fantastic job on the last tour. He has to be a consideration. If he rules himself out I wouldn’t want to put any pressure on him. Whoever coaches the Lions has to want to do it, but if Ian throws his hat into the ring we’d seriously have to look at it.”