Sam Warburton and head coach Warren Gatland attend an official reception at Downing Street© Chris Harris/WPA Pool/Getty Images

Sam Warburton has backed Wales coach Warren Gatland to lead the British & Irish Lions to New Zealand in 2017 but has also raised the possibility of Ireland coach Joe Schmidt and Scotland boss Vern Cotter working alongside him.

Gatland coached the Lions to their 2-1 series win in Australia in 2013 and is the favourite to lead the Lions to New Zealand next year. Warburton knows Gatland's coaching capabilities well having worked with him at Wales and the Lions but has also raised the possibility of Schmidt and Cotter joining him for the tour of New Zealand next June.

All three are New Zealand-born and Warburton feels the trio working together could give the Lions a key advantage as they chase their first series win on New Zealand soil since 1971.

"Warren has obviously got the most experience and he knows what Lions tours are all about so I can understand why he would be a lot of people's front runner," Warburton told the Daily Telegraph. "He has also obviously won a Test series before so it puts him in a great position.

"I think the summer tours will have a bit of a bearing and ideally it would be great to pick two or three coaches out of the home nations. From what I have seen I think they are all great coaches. Warren has been the best coach I have played under but it would be great to get the other guys involved.

"It does put them in a strong position, being Kiwis. I think it puts them at an advantage over a coach who has achieved the same things who might be European, for example.

"The fact that they have psychologically a little bit of inside knowledge on the way Kiwis play rugby and how they might approach matches could be quite important."