Warren Gatland, Andy Robinson and Declan Kidney will effectively be on trial during the forthcoming Six Nations, for the role of head coach of the 2013 British and Irish Lions.

The coaches of Wales, Scotland and Ireland are the leading candidates to take charge of the 10-match, three-Test tour of Australia. Should the Lions committee decide that none of them fit the bill, the Lions chief executive, John Feehan, has confirmed that Sir Ian McGeechan will be considered. McGeechan, who has coached on five Lions tours, is currently director of rugby at Bath. England's interim head coach, Stuart Lancaster, will not be considered. Nor will the full-time replacement for Martin Johnson.

The Lions expect to make the appointment in April. All three national coaches have indicated a desire to lead the Lions. The successful candidate will stand down from his national role for the 2013 Six Nations.

"You don't have to be a genius to work out who the candidates are so from that perspective we will keep an eye on them and see how well they do," Feehan said. "All of those people are committed to wanting to do it, which is fantastic. It really comes down to performance now and who we feel will work best.

"Once we have selected the coach, we wouldn't want them involved in the 2013 Six Nations because we would like to take the pressure away from them in terms of results. We also want the coach to be able to get access to and contact with all the international players in the different squads. He is not going to be able to do that if he is an active coach. We have the support of the Six Nations to do that."

Feehan also said the job would not necessarily go to a coach who won the Six Nations.

McGeechan said at the end of the 2009 tour to South Africa, which reinvigorated the Lions concept despite an agonising 2-1 Test series defeat, that he would not take the reins again and indicated that the 2013 coaching team should be built around those who assisted him in South Africa – Gatland, Shaun Edwards, Rob Howley and Graham Rowntree. "They already know exactly what it takes to make a Lions tour," he said.

Feehan confirmed that Lions experience will be a key factor in the final decision. Performances at the 2011 World Cup will be considered too.

"We won't rule a coach out if he hasn't [got Lions experience] but clearly the more experience, the better," Feehan said. "The big problem with Lions tours is that you have to get it right from day one. There are no second chances so if a guy understands that and understands the ethos that needs to be built up with the players and the management, it helps. It is a definite bonus to them but a coach is more than just experience. There are one or two candidates who haven't been on a tour before and I have no doubt that they can bring their own insights and own intuition into the situation."

The final decision will be made by the Lions board, which is made up of Feehan, Tom Grace (Ireland), Gerald Davies (Wales), Andy Irvine (Scotland) and John Spencer (England). McGeechan will have an input and he is also a fall-back option.

"If we were stuck at the end of the day and we didn't think any of the coaches were appropriate then we might ask Geech to reconsider his position. Lots of people say 'never again'," Feehan said. "Geech is still a viable option if he so chooses. We haven't had that discussion and probably won't in the event that a candidate makes himself clear.

"But Geech is probably the best servant the Lions have ever had and we value his views and opinions so he will have an input on where it goes."