Warren Gatland targets history after being named British and Irish Lions coach for New Zealand tour

Lion king: Warren Gatland is “100 per cent confident” of a series win next year
Chris Jones7 September 2016

Warren Gatland said today he was “100 per cent confident” of guiding the British and Irish Lions to a historic triumph over New Zealand after being named head coach for next year’s tour.

It will be Gatland’s third successive Lions tour and his second as head coach after masterminding the 2-1 series victory over Australia in 2013.

The Lions have not beaten New Zealand in a Test series since 1971 and Gatland is relishing the chance to end that streak.

He said: “I know from having been in New Zealand recently how much excitement there is ahead of next year. For the All Blacks a Lions series is the ultimate test but I am 100 per cent confident we can win.

“Coaching the Lions is a great privilege. The 2013 Tour was a real career highlight. The chance to work with the best players from the Home Nations is a dream and we have some outstanding talent.

“Likewise, there are some outstanding coaches who could be involved and we’ll look to announce them in December.”

The New-Zealand-born Wales coach will work exclusively with the Lions until the end of the Tour, which begins on June 3.

In total, the Lions will play 10 matches. They face three Tests against the world champions as well as games against New Zealand’s best Super Rugby teams and a clash against the Maori All Blacks.

Gatland faces a big headache in selecting a backs coach, with Glasgow’s Gregor Townsend likely to be ruled out because he is taking over as Scotland head coach after the Six Nations. Gatland is set to take Andy Farrell (Ireland) as defence coach and Steve Borthwick (England) as forwards coach.

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