The British & Irish Lions are set to confirm Warren Gatland on Wednesday as their head coach for their 2021 tour to South Africa.

Gatland has coached the Lions in their previous two tours, where they claimed a series victory over Australia in 2013 and drew with New Zealand in 2017. He was assistant to Ian McGeechan during the side’s last tour to South Africa in 2009, when the Lions lost the series 2-1.

Currently serving as Wales coach, Gatland will step down after the World Cup in Japan, ending his time as the nation’s longest-serving coach.

There were initially doubts whether Gatland would return to the Lions, as he was left frustrated by the lack of preparation time and the shortened nature of the tour to New Zealand.

While exact dates of the 2021 tour are still to be released, a tighter schedule is expected, with the tour likely to be cut down from 10 matches in six weeks to eight matches in five weeks. The tour will also take place later in the year due to changes in the international calendar.

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