The Lions tour starts in different places for different players. In 2005, a group of us stood in the café at David Lloyd Riverview in Dublin, waiting nervously as Sky Sports announced that year’s squad live on TV.
Leinster had just moved into a new training facility behind the gym. It was modest by today’s standards at UCD, but compared to getting changed at the boot of your car or lifting weights in a shed, we felt like royalty.
Brian O’Driscoll had already been confirmed as Lions captain. For the rest of us, there was a palpable tension. Your selection was now out of your hands. Performances during the Six Nations counted. Displays in the European Cup may have also made a difference, while reputations were known to weigh heavily.
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As Bill Beaumont read the names, the volume was turned down and we all scanned the tickertape across the bottom of the screen. “D” came and went without my name. Still hopeful, I waited for “G” – but nothing. Delighted for my teammates, quietly disappointed for myself, I returned to the weights session, finished the day and left my phone on silent. I wasn’t in the mood for platitudes or commiserations.
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Later that evening, my dad rang. It turned out there had been a mistake with the tickertape. I was on the plane.
An inauspicious start, but a start nonetheless.
More recently, I was a guest at a pre-match event before the Lions kicked off against Argentina last week. DHL hosted clients and friends in the Old Spot pub – a fun, lively afternoon before we walked across to the Aviva Stadium.
The crowd was different. Not just Irish – there were Scottish and Welsh people, as well as a large English contingent, all clad in red. People laughing, mixing, enjoying pints. Former rivals, now united by the strange alchemy that is the Lions.
It was my first time experiencing the Lions as a supporter. Back in 2005, I played in that fixture in Cardiff – dragging Felipe Contepomi out of a ruck by the ankle.
The atmosphere last Saturday was striking – less about expectation, more about shared support. That’s the thing with the Lions: success is rare, but it doesn’t dull the experience for players or fans.
At the pre-match event, someone asked what it’s like to get your Lions jersey for the first time. Only recently have I properly reflected on it. The truth is, once you get that jersey, the clock starts. You’ve made it to the tour, but now you’re in a race to make the Test team.
With your country, there’s usually a pecking order. If you’re fit, you probably start. With the Lions, everyone’s a starter for their country. Suddenly, you’re back proving yourself – to new coaches, in new systems and with a new mix of teammates. Time is short. Combinations are unfamiliar. Even what games you get picked for, and with whom, is outside your control.
You do what you can and hope it clicks. Sometimes it doesn’t.
For some, the environment suits them. Every four years, we watch players’ stock rise and fall depending on how they adapt.
In 2005, the English contingent came from a World Cup-winning system that left little to chance. Ian McGeechan (Scotland) and Warren Gatland (Wales) brought a looser style. That contrast suited some, not others.
But the greats — Martin Johnson, Scott Gibbs, O’Driscoll, Sam Warburton — they imposed themselves no matter the system. They found a way.
The defeat by Argentina on Saturday was a timely reminder that the tour is just beginning. The Lions looked like a team in its first week together. There were glimpses of cohesion, some excellent individual moments, but not yet a complete performance. Passes were mistimed. Lineouts misfired. Offloads came too early or too late. Argentina were sharper at the breakdown and the Lions struggled to build tempo.
That said, there were positives. Bundee Aki, Duhan van der Merwe and Tommy Freeman all made powerful carries. The ball was moved with ambition. There were moments of connection and the crowd fed off them, almost willing the Lions into something more. But ultimately, it was promise without an end product.
Argentina – fifth in the world – looked prepared and confident. The Lions, for all their talent, are not afforded the kind of freedom the Barbarians are given.
They carry national pride and expectations, but without the many hours national sides have to establish familiarity. Normally, the opening match of a tour is against a club side, allowing the group to build. This was a tough first test.
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Still, I’d argue the performance might be exactly what the squad needed. The result sharpens minds. Players such as Fin Smith and Jac Morgan may not be test-starter contenders, but they got first crack and others will now have their turn. Expect selection to get tighter, intensity to rise and performances to improve.
There are only two matches the Lions must win on this tour. This wasn’t one of them. But it did set the tone. The test jersey is now up for grabs and for many players, the clock is already ticking.
The Lions is a strange, wonderful creation. A team made from four nations, asked to gel in a matter of weeks and then beat one of the best in the world. It’s romantic and it’s brutal. You don’t have time to ease in. You must seize the moment. But the opportunity, when it lands, is unforgettable.
As Maya Angelou once wrote: “We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated.”
The Lions may have lost to Argentina, but the tour – the real tour – starts now.
