So it's very much business as usual for the British & Irish Lions, then.
After being head coach in 2013 and part of Ian McGeechan's coaching staff in the 2009 tour to South Africa, Wales coach Warren Gatland looks set to stamp his passport to New Zealand next summer as head coach of the British & Irish Lions once again, as per reports in The Guardian today.
An announcement will be made on September 7th where it will officially be revealed who will take the reins next summer but it's looking increasingly likely that the coaching ticket will remain similar to the one which took home the series victory down under three summers ago.
The chosen coach will take an immediate 10 month break from coaching their national team.
Ireland's Joe Schmidt (though he later ruled himself out) and Scotland's Vern Cotter had both been touted for the job, as had England coach Eddie Jones - though he swiftly ruled himself out of contention, citing a reluctance to temporarily step aside during the 6 Nations to concentrate on Lions selection.
Perhaps even more interestingly, reports are suggesting that Gatland may select England's Dylan Hartley as captain of the Lions, the same player who was handed an 11-week ban before the 2013 tour which cost him his place on the plane.
Hartley is one of the most contentious players in the game. He has received numerous bans throughout his career, for issues like eye-gouging, biting, punching and verbal abuse of a match official.
Dylan Hartley is one of the most controversial players in the northern hemisphere.
Gatland was criticised three years ago for have a very Wales-heavy selection policy, with both Sam Warburton and Alun Wyn Jones being named as captains of the touring party. Not only that, there was nearly a national scandal when Gatland dropped Brian O'Driscoll - not just from the team, but from the match day squad - for the third and final test against Australia.
The Welsh coach was criticised by the Irish press last time around for seeming to favour Welsh players over those from Ireland, England and Scotland. The first team for the final test contained ten Welsh players, along with three Irishmen and just two English players in the side and with this sort of selection policy in place, does Jonny Sexton have a chance at the #10 jersey given that Gatland rates Dan Biggar so highly? Would Robbie Henshaw be selected, given Gatland's preference for battering rams in the centre positions? The same questions apply for Rhys Webb and Conor Murray? Rory Best will automatically be ruled out of a test spot if Dylan Hartley is indeed named captain.
What is potentially more worrying is the fact that Gatland coached side rarely perform well against New Zealand. His Welsh side lost all three tests of their tour to New Zealand this past summer and given Gatland's fondness for selecting players he is familiar with, this may have set a worrying trend for Lions fans ahead of next summer.
