The Lions brought to an end a very successful three-match series with New Zealand on Saturday as they ground out a 15-15 draw with the world’s best team. In truth, the touring side didn't offer as much in attack in the final Test as their opponents, meaning that while the draw was an anticlimax, it is a result that they would have taken at the start of the game.
The series also ended level and saw Warren Gatland complete his second Lions tour with an impressive stat; he is yet to lose a series with the side, having beaten Australia and drawn with New Zealand.
This has led to many surmising that he will return to coach the Lions for a third successive time, with the tour of South Africa next on the agenda.
While successful, this tour was one that seemed to age Gatland. His decisions on selection, tactics and style have all been questioned and the New Zealand media also branded him a clown.
Professional sports players and coaches will say that criticism gives them another driving force behind to improve upon their performances, but the ridicule Gatland took is something that was unfounded, and he is unlikely to want to face again.
The ideal man to take the Lions forward then is Eddie Jones. The England coach has shown every relevant credential needed to be successful and he is one rung on the ladder away from guiding his side to the very top, although that one rung is still a long way out of reach.
With England, Jones has taken a battered and embarrassed side that failed at their own World Cup in 2015 and turned them into double Six Nations Champions, and the best side in the northern hemisphere.
Along with this rise has been the improvement of England’s style of play. They are no longer a forward dominated team, instead, their backs are now far more incisive and creative in their play and, on their day, they can cut even the best defences to ribbons.
His own philosophy of play and ability to turn around a struggling team quickly and give them an identity would also be vital to the Lions. With such a plethora of elite talent from the other nations at his disposal too, Jones would surely relish the chance to try and get the very best out of the players he often looks to nullify.
Finally, the style of the man himself would be crucial. Jones is always so bullish in his interviews, with his amiable but hardshell of a personality endearing yet strong. The England coach is not a man that seems fazed by the criticisms of others.
Gatland has done a magnificent job with the Lions and should be commended very highly for his work. It would not be surprising to see him reprise his role in four years, but the best option to take the Lions forward is Eddie Jones.
