Rugby:The British and Irish Lions have opened the door for Ian McGeechan to lead the 2013 tour to Australia, but risk facing troubled waters should they pursue his main rival Warren Gatland.
Former Scotland full-back Andy Irvine was today confirmed as tour manager and immediately turned his attention to the identity of the next head coach.
McGeechan had declared the epic series defeat by South Africa in 2009 would be his last in the post, but his name remains synonymous with the Lions following seven tours as a player or coach.
Irvine insisted the 63-year-old, currently Bath’s performance director, would be an outstanding candidate if he could be tempted to reverse his decision. Strengthening McGeechan’s position was Irvine’s admission that his fellow Scot had set the blueprint for all future tours.
“McGeechan said after South Africa that he wouldn’t be interested in coaching, but he said that after three other tours as well!” he said. “Geech is back in the fold at Bath. He doesn’t quite have a tracksuit on every day but he’s still very much in touch with the game.
“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. The last tour got an awful lot of things right and that should be the template for the way forward.”
If he changes his mind, McGeechan’s strongest rival for the post is Gatland, though a significant obstacle would have to be overcome for the Wales coach to be appointed. Irvine deems it unlikely that any of the coaches in the 2013 Six Nations will be considered due to the demands of the Lions.
For Gatland to be involved a break clause in his contract with the Welsh Rugby Union, which was today extended until 2015, would have to be negotiated. The WRU are unlikely to be pleased at the prospect of losing the central figure of their management team for up to a season and Irvine admits availability is an issue.
“It’s not feasible for a head coach to run the national side in the Six Nations prior to the tour because it would be asking too much,” he said. “The national sides would probably baulk at that idea anyway because their national coach’s eye would be taken off the ball.
“We’ll be speaking to the WRU to see what level of commitment Warren 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 we’d certainly want a partial release.”
The options narrowed further after Irvine all but ruled out overseas coaches and stated any candidate must have a strong affinity with the Lions. Gatland would pass muster despite being a Kiwi because of his contribution as an assistant to McGeechan last year.
Irvine revealed the head coach could be selected as early as after next year’s World Cup, but no later than a year before the tour. Even at this stage it appears a two-horse race. Irvine added: “There are one or two possible front runners and it’s not rocket science to see who they are.”
However, Irvine noted that the landscape could change radically over the next 12-18 months.
“Last time Eddie O’Sullivan was a front runner at this point in the cycle but Ireland had such a disappointing World Cup and Six Nations that he lost his job with Ireland,” he said.
There will be nine fixtures on the 2013 tour, starting with a curtain-raiser against the Barbarians in Hong Kong, and the Lions expect to face at least four of the five Australian Super 15 sides. Irvine also revealed that Argentina is a realistic future touring destination, with 2021 the first possible window to face the Pumas on South American soil.