Shaun Edwards has revealed he knew his Lions chances were over the moment Warren Gatland was appointed head coach for a third time.
Edwards has twice been snubbed by the man he worked with so closely during over a decade with Wales, missing out on the 2013 and 2017 tours. Current Ireland coach Andy Farrell has taken on the defence coach role, and is expected to do so again later this year.
That's despite Edwards receiving huge plaudits for the way he has helped turn France into one of the game's best teams since heading across the Channel.
Asked on the BBC's Rugby Union Weekly podcast if he had spoken to Gatland and was itching to go on the tour, Edwards replied: "Not really. He text me a message after we beat Wales last year.
"I text him a few messages after watching his team in the summer when they kept losing by one score, just some words of support really.
"But I haven't spoken to him for the last four or five months.
"I can't go because I'm with the French national team."
Asked if that was the end of the matter, he said: "Well, I haven't been on the last two Lions tours. I think if I'm honest I knew when he was selected as coach I wasn't going to be going on another Lions tour until there was a change of coach.
"I think Faz has done a good job on the last two Lions tours.
"It's something that is very special in Great Britain and Ireland but you don't hear too much about it over here in France to be honest."
Edwards was part of the 2009 coaching ticket, alongside Gatland and Sir Ian McGeechan, but he has not been involved since.
Gatland has previously described omitting Edwards in 2013 as one of the hardest decisions of his career.
"It was pretty agonising. Shaun's a world-class coach who has been very successful but, from a selfish point of view, this was an opportunity to work with someone fresh. I'm going to be judged on this in seven months' time but it's a profession and a business. Sometimes you have to make those hard calls," he said at the time.
"Shaun appreciated my call but he was very, very disappointed," admitted Gatland.
Gatland is yet to name his coaching staff for the this summer's Test series against South Africa, which now looks set to be held in the UK.
