Warren Gatland has admitted that he is unsure why Gregor Townsend turned down his invite to join the British and Irish Lions' coaching setup, claiming that the incoming Scotland boss will miss out on valuable experience.
The 53-year-old has announced his full backroom team for next year's summer tour to New Zealand, handing roles to Steve Borthwick, Rob Howley and Andy Farrell.
Gatland is not completely happy with the cooperation he received from all four home nations, however, with Townsend opting to instead focus on Scotland's own tour Down Under, meaning that there is no Scottish representative in his Lions lineup.
"Most of them are pretty good," he told Sky Sports News. "Most of them are excellent. I think it ticks a lot of the boxes for me. There is some continuity and people that know and work with each other, trust each other and adding some fresh faces - Steve Borthwick brings that in.
"It nearly ticks all the boxes in terms of Ireland, England and Wales ticked off. The ideal scenario would be having someone from Scotland as well and then we would have been complete but we haven't got that at the moment.
"I had a conversation with Gregor, he had a release in his contract. I personally thought it would have been brilliant for his development for him to go on a Lions tour. Unfortunately, I think it is going to be his loss, and ultimately Scotland's loss as well."
Gatland will announce his playing squad for the three-Test series on April 19.
Daniel Lewis
