Scrum of the Earth /

Ian McGeechan will be confirmed as head coach for the 2009 British and Irish Lions on Wednesday morning.

It's been rugby's worst kept secret since Martin Johnson dismissed any interest with working in the England setup, but given Eddie O'Sullivan's capitulation then sacking as the Irish top dog and Brian Ashton following O'Sullivan out the door albeit in much darker circumstances, it left Gerald Davies and Co no route to turn to apart from Geech, who will oversee his fourth Lions tour, as well as two as a player and one as an assistant.

Lions chairman Andy Irvine said: "We wanted someone with a special bond with the Lions."

Geech is the most successful coach in Lions history, triumphing in the 1989 series in Australia, heading up victory over arguably one of the most famous touring victories in South Africa in 1997, with the only blemish a 2-1 defeat to New Zealand in 1993.

McGeechan is expected to name Shaun Edwards and Warren Gatland as his assistants, creating the dream team triumvirate.