Warren Gatland: The next Lions coach?
Warren Gatland, Andy Robinson and Declan Kidney are the candidates for 2013 British and Irish Lions head coach role.
The Lions expect to make the appointment in April ahead of next year's ten-match three-Test tour to Australia.
The respective coaches of Wales, Scotland and Ireland will all effectively be on trial during the upcoming Six Nations championship but if none of them fit the bill, former coach and current Bath boss Ian McGeechan would be considered according to chief executive John Feehan.
McGeechan said at the end of the 2009 tour to South Africa that he would not seek to go on an eighth tour, suggesting rather that the new coaching team should be built around those who assisted him in the agonising 2-1 Test series defeat to the Springboks - Gatland, Shaun Edwards, Rob Howley and Graham Rowntree.
The successful candidate will have to step away from his current role before the 2013 Six Nations in order to maximise his preparation time but all three national coaches have indicated their desire to take on the biggest job in the northern hemisphere.
England's interim coach Stuart Lancaster will not be considered because he does not have the required experience, nor will whoever is appointed as the full-time coach.
"You don't have to be a genius to work out who the candidates are...we will keep an eye on them and see how well they do [in the Six Nations],'' said Feehan.
"All of those people are committed to wanting to do it, which is fantastic. It really comes down to performance now and who we feel will work best.
"Once we have selected the coach, we wouldn't want them involved in the 2013 Six Nations because we would like to take the pressure away from them in terms of results.
"We also want the coach to be able to get access to and contact with all the international players in the different squads. He is not going to be able to do that if he is an active coach.
"We have the support of the Six Nations to do that.''
Feehan emphasised that the job would not necessarily go to the coach that wins the Six Nations, stressing the decision would be based on relative performance and confirmed that Lions experience, and performances at the 2011 World Cup were also key factors, suggesting that New Zealand born Gatland ticked all the boxes.
"We won't rule a coach out if he hasn't [got Lions experience] but clearly the more experience, the better,'' said Feehan.
"The big problem with Lions tours is that you have to get it right from day one. There are no second chances so if a guy understands that and understands the ethos that needs to be built up with the players and the management, it helps.
"It is a definite bonus to them but a coach is more than just experience.
"There are one or two candidates who haven't been on a tour before and I have no doubt that they can bring their own insights and own intuition into the situation.''
The final decision will be made by the Lions board, which is made up of representatives from the four home unions - Tom Grace (Ireland), Gerald Davies (Wales), Andy Irvine (Scotland), John Spencer (England) - plus Feehan.
Feehan confirmed that a sqaud of up to 37 players would leave together after the Aviva Premiership and PRO 12 finals which will be played in the last week of May. The opening match of the tour is against the Barbarians in Hong Kong on June 1.
Comments
DaveJ says...
Please give it to Kidney, that way we can have Joe Schmitt as the interim coach and he can prove that he could get more out of our national team than Kidney!
Posted 14:40 11th January 2012
makemehappy says...
Out of the 3 candidates mentioned, Gatland is the only option!
Posted 13:20 11th January 2012
leinster_goy says...
@rugby rockstar
you made some valid points but i disagree about mcgeechan. ultimately, he was to blame for the lions going down in the 1st 2009 test for selecting vickery, mears and monye. for all the man-motivation and esprit de corps he brings, that was a fundamentally flawed coaching decision yet he seems to get a free pass from the media all the time simply because he's a nice guy. so for those reasons i wouldn't want to see geech chosen again
in my view gatland is the only realistic choice, not only because he's familiar with the set-up but also because the 2013 team will likely be built around a jones-jenkins-warburton-priestland-roberts axis. either way, there will be many welshmen in that squad. andy robinson should definitely be part of the coaching team, and i would love to see conor o'shea in the set-up too
Posted 13:04 11th January 2012
APV1 says...
I agree with fozza. But I'd also add Mike Catt into the mix, to look after the backs. Despite him betraying us Bath fans (!?!) and going to The Dark Side, he's still a heck of a coach in my opinion, backed up by years as a heck of a player.
Posted 11:17 11th January 2012
Dingbat32 says...
Marc Lievremont?
Posted 10:21 11th January 2012
curates_egg says...
@mayhem Kidney and Gatland could definitely not work together. If the RWC2011 is anything to go by, Kidney is missing a lot of the skillset and tactical nous required to run a Lions tour. As an Irish fan, I would prefer either of the other two.
Posted 09:54 11th January 2012
rugby_rockstar says...
National coaches don't make the best lions coach. There are reasons why Geech is so successful while coaches like Graham Henry and Sir Clive Woodward crashed and burned. Sir Ian Mcgeechan (never a great club or national coach) thrives in the lions environment.
You've got about two months to put together a test team that can beat a sanzar nation in their own backyard, which is completely different to having years to put together a succesful test side. Man management, and initial selection, motivation is more important than set tactics and training. Woodward's philosphy is all about being prepared and having every detail covered. Thats impossible when you've got to forge a team out a bunch of strangers in 8 or 9 weeks. Thats where selection comes in. You need intelligent players who'll play heads up rugby. You need leaders within the team and motivators within the entire group. Selfish players, no matter how tallented, will bring the entire campaign crashing down about everyone's ears. You've got to have strong characters who understand that the home nation, Union, Media, Everyone is just out to give you hell every step of the way. That's why its such an honour to be selected to be a Lion. But its the same sort of honour as being chosen to lead a forlorn hope into a castle breach. Its a challenge to your character. Jim Telfer said it best, it is rugby's sporting everest. Nothing else comes close. Thats why series victories are legendary. If a side as powerful as the 2001 lions can lose then there is no such thing as a Lions team who are favourites, and it gets harder and harder due to the professionalisation of rugby union. The coaches and players will not face anything as challenging as a lions tour in their rugby careers and they will go home, win or lose, having learned the truth about themselves.
Posted 09:40 11th January 2012
leinster_goy says...
"Declan Kidney, candidate for 2013 Lions coach"
is this a joke?
Posted 09:32 11th January 2012
fozza says...
I think it's a bit blinkered to rule out people based on experience but fair enough, I don't see anyone else out there with little experience who could do a better job.
As with the team, the coaches will need to come together quickly with very little preparation so I could see Gatland, Edwards and Howley being the crux of the coaching squad. Add to that Andy Robinson as forwards coach and Graham Rowntree to look after the scrum and I think that's fairly strong. No disrespect to Declan Kidney but I feel the above combination works and if Robinson is willing to go as a specific forwards coach (and based on the man's demeanour and actions I don't see ego coming into this) then it would be very strong indeed.
Posted 08:39 11th January 2012
mayhem says...
Could gatland and Kidney work together, two excellent coaches. Just a thought...
Posted 07:40 11th January 2012