The British Lions 10-match tour to New Zealand has been branded 'unsustainable' with Premier Rugby chief executive Mark McCafferty insisting players will suffer more long-term injuries as a result of next summer's gruelling schedule.
The Lions play the first of seven warm-up games against a New Zealand Provincial Union XV on June 3 next year - a week after the Aviva Premiership final at Twickenham - before three Tests against the heavily-fancied world champions.
Four years ago Wales players made up the bulk of Warren Gatland's tour squad to Australia and with Eddie Jones' England high-flying players set to feature heavily in the Lions squad to New Zealand, McCafferty says there will inevitably be consequences.
'It's a punishing schedule,' he said. 'Personally I don't know why that was signed up to. To play 10 games over that period of time I think is a lot. There's going to be a difficulty for sure of players coming back off that tour into the Premiership for 17-18.
'The stats will show you that countries that have had a very large contingent of Lions players - and Wales was most recent - tend to suffer more injuries in that following season. It does have an impact. That isn't necessarily cause and outcome you can see directly.
