Gregor Townsend had been firmly in the frame, but he takes over from Vern Cotter as Scotland head coach at the end of this season and will lead their summer tour of Australia.

Rumours have been rife in the last few days that Gatland could bolster his staff with another big-hitter. Former England and Fiji sevens coach Ben Ryan is possibly on the radar, while Saracens’ trophy double-winning rugby director Mark McCall also has many admirers.

Ryan is regarded as an innovative rugby thinker, establishing himself as England’s most successful sevens coach in history before taking charge of Fiji and leading them to world series glory and then capturing Olympic gold in Rio four months ago.

Gatland’s long-held view is that to have any realistic chance against world champions New Zealand, any opponent must be prepared to play, rather than contain, and it may be that Ryan or McCall fit the bill.

Technical and operational staff for the Lions’ first New Zealand trip since they suffered a painful Test series whitewash in 2005 are set to be announced early next month, with the squad itself due on April 19.

“It is another important step on the road to New Zealand,” tour manager John Spencer told the Lions’ official website ahead of the unveiling in Dublin.