Headline to publish Lions tour diary

Headline has acquired two books by Warren Gatland, current head coach of the British & Irish Lions and the Wales international rugby teams.

The deal includes a full autobiography, scheduled for release in autumn 2019, and a "wonderfully candid" insider's account of this summer's Lions tour to New Zealand, entitled In the Line of Fire, to publish this October.

Consultant sports publisher Jonathan Taylor bought world rights in the books from Jonathan Harris at Sport and Artist Management.

Gatland, 53, made 17 non-international appearances for the All Blacks before turning to coaching. He was the head coach of the British & Irish Lions squad which recorded a Test series draw this summer against the All Blacks. The result was the first time the Lions had not lost a series in New Zealand since 1971. Gatland also led the Lions on their triumphant tour of Australia in 2013, and he served as assistant coach on the 2009 tour of South Africa. He has been head coach of Wales since 2007. In that time the Welsh have won the Grand Slam twice and the Six Nations three times. During his career, Gatland also coached Connacht and the Irish national team, as well as Wasps.

Taylor said: "We are absolutely delighted to welcome Warren Gatland to the Headline sports list. His Lions tour diary is going to be a wonderfully candid and vibrant record of the withering ferocity and the turbulent peaks and troughs of one of sport's toughest challenges.  It will give sports fans an unparalleled front-row seat, and provide the ultimate insider's story of the most thrilling and epic British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand for generations."

Gatland said: "I am really excited by the prospect of writing about the events of this summer in New Zealand. It is a huge honour to coach the Lions and this year's tour was remarkable in a number of ways. I can't wait to share the story with the fans."

Headline will publish In the Line of Fire on 19th October.