( CNN ) -- The big cats are out of the bag after the British and Irish players selected for rugby union 's prestigious Lions tour of Australia were unveiled in London . Lions coach Warren Gatland has chosen 15 Welsh , 10 English , nine Irish and three Scottish players in his combined 37-man squad for the three-Test tour which begins in June . The announcement was a relief for Welsh flanker Sam Warburton , who had been sworn to secrecy by Gatland after being named as captain on his debut Lions tour . `` It 's been the hardest thing , lying to my friends for over a week ! '' said the 24-year-old , who is the youngest tour captain in Lions history . `` Warren phoned me up to tell me nine days ago . I put the phone down and punching the air was my first reaction . `` I 've had to tell hardly anybody and that 's been very difficult . I told my fiancee and parents but that was it . `` The boys at the Cardiff Blues were asking me if I wanted to go out for food and things like that , '' added Warburton , referring to his Welsh club . `` They were trying to catch me out but I would n't let anything slip . `` If I went through my career without playing for the Lions , I 'd be so gutted . It 's by far the biggest accolade any British or Irish player could achieve -- it 's the ultimate , so I 'm absolutely thrilled . '' There was no place in the squad , however , for England captain Chris Robshaw or England 's 2003 World-Cup winning hero Jonny Wilkinson . Wilkinson , who now plays in France for Toulon , effectively ruled himself out of contention for the Lions tour , pointing instead to young fly-halves Owen Farrell and Jonathan Sexton , who have both been selected for Lions kicking duties . `` I asked Jonny if he could tour and he said he was n't available . I would n't have made the phone call if it was n't to offer him a place on the tour , '' Gatland said . `` He appreciated the call , but I think physically he would struggle to do a tour . He was honest about himself and said ' I 'm hanging on with my fingernails here at the moment and I probably need another operation ' . `` We asked him about what happens if there is an injury later in the tour and he said 'we can have that conversation later if that crops up . ' '' Ireland great and 2005 Lions captain Brian O'Driscoll was also included , with the 34-year-old centre chosen for his fourth successive tour . Despite retiring from England duty last season , England prop Matt Stevens was added to the Lions squad . Scotland 's New Zealand-born wing Sean Maitland was also included although there was no place for outside half Greig Laidlaw . `` We spent a long time selecting this squad and there were some close calls with a lot of competition for places , '' said New Zealander Gatland , who coached Wales to Six Nations -- the northern hemisphere 's annual tournament -- success in 2013 . `` When it came down to it there were three or four positions where we had to make a call between one player and another . `` There 's been so much speculation and so many opinions . And that 's what selection is - it 's a matter of opinion , and it 's our opinion . `` But ultimately we chose the players who will give us the best chance of a Test series victory . A Lions tour to Australia only comes around once every 12 years and we believe we have the right balance in the squad to be successful . '' The concept of a combined touring Lions side began in 1891 when a group of English and Scottish players took part in a three-Test series against South Africa under the auspices of the Rugby Football Union . In 1899 , the tourists fielded players from England , Scotland , Wales and Ireland for the first time as they traveled to Australia to provide them with their first international competition . The Lions head Down Under again in 2013 determined to avenge their defeat by the Australians in 2001 . The tour begins in Hong Kong against the Barbarians -- an international invitational side based in Britain -- on June 1 and the first Test against Australia follows on June 22 in Brisbane .
Coach Sam Warburton names a 37-man squad for British & Irish Lions tour of Ireland . Wales flanker Warren Gatland is named as captain . There is no place for fly-half Jonny Wilkinson despite his impressive form for British & Irish Lions tour . The fourth Lions tour of Australia was held in 1899 when the team fielded players from all four Home Nations .