Warren Gatland continues to criticise Premiership Rugby over player release dates for Lions tours

Warren Gatland - Warren Gatland has said player injuries during Lions' tour of New Zealand last summer could have been due to lack of preparation time
Warren Gatland has said player injuries during Lions' tour of New Zealand last summer could have been due to lack of preparation time Credit: David Davies/PA

Warren Gatland has again criticised Premiership Rugby Limited and warned that British and Irish Lions players face the risk of serious injury if not given adequate time to prepare for the 2021 tour.

Gatland, the Lions head coach in both 2013 and 2017, has repeatedly called for the team to be given at least another week of training before they travel to the southern hemisphere.

Discussions over how the tour to South Africa in 2021 will fit into the rugby calendar continue, but PRL chief Mark McCafferty has already refused to accommodate a change in the English season to help out, describing such a move as “suicidal” to his competition.

For the Lions tour to New Zealand last summer, Gatland’s side...

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