British & Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland believes that there should be no problems with Wales defence coach Shaun Edwards when he returns to his full-time role with the national side.
Gatland has worked closely with Edwards for a number of years but decided to omit the 46-year-old from his staff for the Lions tour of Australia this summer.
The New Zealand-born coach lead the squad to a historic victory Down Under beating the Wallabies 2-1 in a dramatic series.
The former London Wasps and Ireland coach owes a lot to Edwards who has worked relentlessly with the Wales defensive line since 2008 to help the national side to claim the RBS 6 Nations title in 2008, 2012 and 2013.
However, Gatland opted to call-up England’s Andy Farrell into the role with the Lions leading to many feeling that may cause friction between the Wales pair.
The 49-year-old was quick to point out that it was in no way meant to be disrespectful to his colleague and he hopes that things can run smoothly as focus turns to preparation for the World Cup in 2015.
Gatland said: “He was texting on a regular basis saying good luck and well done.
“I’m looking forward to working with him again in November.
“Shaun’s someone I’ve got a huge amount of time for and admire”, but he added that the Lions tour was “a good experience to see how other people operate.
“It doesn’t mean I have any less respect or admiration for Shaun as a coach and I think a lot of the players that were on the Lions will come back and look forward to working with him again as well.”
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