Gatland's warning to Grand Slammers

Wales Head Coach and newly appointed Lions assistant coach Warren Gatland has issued a warning to the Grand Slam winning players: They'll have to work extra hard to make to squad to tour South Africa next year.

Wales Head Coach and newly appointed Lions assistant coach Warren Gatland has issued a warning to the Grand Slam winning players: They'll have to work extra hard to make to squad to tour South Africa next year.

The New Zealander, who was named as Ian McGeechan's Lions forwards coach in Dublin on Wednesday, immediately dispelled suggestions that he had compromised his Welsh position by taking the job.

Gatland and a group of his Wales backroom team – defence coach Shaun Edwards, backs coach Rob Howley, Wales fitness coach Craig White and analyst Rhys Long – will all be part of McGeechan's touring group.

The Wales boss admitted that he considered the only other Kiwi to coach the Lions, former Wales Head Coach Graham Henry, who quit his Welsh job after a losing tour to Australia damaged his relationship with his Welsh players.

“I have looked at that pretty closely,” Gatland told the Western Mail.

“At the time, I was the Ireland coach and we were disappointed with the number of Irish players selected for the 2001 tour compared to the number of Welsh players on that tour.

“My attitude is that the Welsh players who do get selected are probably going to have to work harder than everybody else.

“It's not going to be easy because I am Wales coach. We have to make sure the right people are selected and they have earned selection because I am conscious of what happened in 2001.

“If you had to pick a Lions side after the last Six Nations a number of Welshman would have been part of it. Now it's a clean slate and about how they perform in November and the Six Nations. If players do that, selection will take care of itself.

“This is a great chance for me to learn something about players from the other home nations and it is good for my development as a coach.

“I am going to learn a lot from this experience and it will improve me as a coach. I am still a relatively young coach and I think the experiences I have in South Africa will make Wales stronger as a coaching unit and we will come back from the tour better prepared for this job.”

McGeechan revealed that an interim squad of 60 players will be announced in January before the Six Nations.

The final 35-man squad for the 10-match tour against the world champions is expected to be announced next April after the Heineken Cup quarter-finals. The Lions captain is also expected to be named on that day.

Like every New Zealander, South African and Australian, you don't have to explain what the Lions means to Gatland.

He knows all about the history and tradition of the British and Irish Lions whom he faced back in 1993 when he played for Waikato against the Lions midweek side. That day Will Carling's dirt-trackers romped home to a 38-10 demolition in Hamilton.

“As a young boy, watching the '71 Lions tour was my first real memory of the Lions. Not many teams come to New Zealand and leave with a Test series victory and that is why everybody sat up and took notice,” he said.

“I can remember thinking, 'hang on, this is pretty special' and they had so many world-class players on that tour.

“Then I had the honour of playing against the Lions in 1993 and I remember vividly thinking this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to play them.”

“I can remember how incredibly motivated the players were to play and smash the Lions.”

The former Wasps coach has already identified the what was behind the failure of Sir Clive Woodward's Lions in 2005 and of Henry's Lions in 2001.

“Looking back on last time, when you are picking a Lions team, you have to look at the whole dynamic of it,” said Gatland.

“Your are bringing four different cultures together and the Lions are the only side who are still touring. Players will share rooms, there will be a smaller management team and smaller squad and everyone will feel they are part of it.

“You are picking a squad full of players who are starters for their countries, so it's about the characters and personalities of the players, too. The last two tours were the same. In 2001, Graham Henry had selected his team for the first Test before they went to Australia.”