REVISED: How the Lions coaching team will look after THREE pull out 

The Times has described Gatland as "spending the weekend talking to potential replacements", but added that "the Lions were keeping the identity of potential replacements a close-guarded secret".

Here is who will reportedly join his coaching team for the tour to South Africa.

Unable to accept an invitation for the tour of New Zealand in 2017, the Scotland boss is set to tour this time around. A Lions legend in his own right, he played at fly-half when the tourists beat South Africa back in 1997.

The likely recruitment of McBryde certainly makes sense for Gatland. The 50-year-old was on Gatland’s coaching team with Wales up to the 2019 World Cup, when he was the forwards coach. 

Scotland’s defensive mastermind has emerged as a leading candidate to join the British & Irish Lions coaching staff. Tandy would be charged with overseeing the Lions defence on the tour of South Africa with the Ireland head coach, Andy Farrell, now believed to be unavailable.

Like Graham Rowntree, a two-time tourist. Jenkins has been in the back-room team for the past three tours and the kicking guru, who is still part of the Wales set-up under Wayne Pivac, will tour once again.