As the Lions squad ready’s for their New Zealand tour, Eddie Jones cannot contain himself and puts the boot in. An indication of what lies ahead.
Welcome along to the ‘Out Roar’ column for the 2017 British & Irish Lions Tour
This will be my little corner of the world for all the latest news and reactions, from a kiwi perspective, to all things that occur during the DHL New Zealand Lions Series 2017.
Over the course of the next six weeks I will share some of the interesting bits of news from the tour, react to the on-field action, and give you some some of my views (as a die hard All Blacks fan) on everything else in between.
Eddie Jones Slams ‘Too Welsh’ Direction Of Lions
Before the side has even arrived in New Zealand, a familiar face has come out in the media and said that the Lions will struggle against the All Blacks.
England coach Eddie Jones says that the Lions won’t be able to achieve victory due to the likelihood of playing a Welsh style of rugby. Jones went on to say that the influence of the Welsh coaches will see the Lions look to play an ‘up the guts’ style of rugby and won’t move the ball around too much against the All Blacks.
“They picked their squad to play a certain style based on the influence of the Welsh coaches.”
Jones did predict that the Lions would ‘have a chance’ to win the series, but only if Warren Gatland and his men can overcome the All Blacks in the First Test. The Lions will have a series of warm-up matches against the majority of New Zealand’s five Super Rugby sides prior to the opening Test on June 24th.
“If they win the first test, they could win the series. But if they don’t, it might be a tough old series for them.”
But Jones is adamant that the influence of a primarily Welsh coaching staff, will have an impact in the big matches. There are 12 Welsh players too, out of the 41-man Lions squad to tour New Zealand.
Special All Blacks jersey released for DHL Lions series
A new All Blacks jersey will be released at a special event in Auckland on Wednesday. The new strip, which the All Blacks will wear in the Test series against the Lions only, features a special crest which pays tribute to the history between the two sides (1904 – 2017). The jersey also features a dynamic new design.
NEWS | adidas and New Zealand Rugby to unveil stunning, special edition All Blacks jersey.
READ: https://t.co/jmVazgHeEW #LionsNZ2017 pic.twitter.com/3FxZimhp43— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) May 29, 2017
For All Black fans, the new jersey will be available to purchase from major retailers for $120NZD for a supporters version, and $150NZD for the official replica.
“Main photo credit”
