Eddie’s Lions swipe

ENGLAND boss Eddie Jones believes the British and Irish Lions will struggle to beat New Zealand due to the Welsh influence in the squad. Lions coach Warren Gatland, who is currently on a sabbatical from his role in charge of the Welsh national side, has included 12 Wales players in his 41-man squad for the three-Test tour. England make up the biggest percentage of the squad with 16 players. Jones believes Gatland will opt for a similar style of rugby to Wales and expects the tourists to struggle in next month’s series. ‘I think it’s going to be very tough for them,’ Jones said. ‘They picked their squad to play a certain style based on the influence of Wales. ‘They are looking to attack like Wales, with big gainline runners, not much ball movement. You’ll struggle to beat the All Blacks like that.’ Meanwhile New Zealand fly-half Beauden Barrett has suffered an injury scare after missing Saturday’s Hurricanes match with concussion, while Kiwi hooker Dane Coles, who has not played since March, is a doubt for the entire series. Kiwi captain Kieran Read and deputy Liam Squire should recover from injuries to play in the first Test on June 24.