Warren Gatland picks assistant coaches for British and Irish Lions Tour of Australia

British and Irish Lions Tour of Australia head coach Warren Gatland will be joined by Andy Farrell, Graham Rowntree and Rob Howley in the coaching staff for next year's tour.

The trio were expected to be named in the setup for the 2013 trip but there was a chance that Gatland's long-term assistant Shaun Edwards would have been named as the defensive coach. However, Farrell is believed to have been preferred following his work with the England squad.

Howley and Rowntree make up the four-man coaching team for next summer's tour, which will consist of six warm-up matches and three Tests commencing at the end of June.

The Lions' first Test clash against Australia will be held in Brisbane on June 22 and will be followed by meetings in Melbourne and Sydney.