Will Stuart opens up on spooking his sleeping Lions team-mates, becoming a viral sensation and why he was glad to escape Bath's Premiership party
Soon after arriving for Lions duty with a celebratory hangover, Will Stuart found himself lurking behind a curtain next to his unsuspecting Irish room-mate's bed, in the middle of the night.
For the England prop, there is a history of such nocturnal behaviour, which is why he will be making sure he is suitably dressed at lights-out time. 'I've been rooming with Finlay Bealham, he's a funny guy,' said Stuart. 'He's had to put up with me sleepwalking already, which he dealt with pretty well.
'He was in the bed next to the window and I'd got up and crept behind his bed and woke up behind the curtain next to the window. I opened the curtain and he was just there. I'm surprised he didn't wake up and get the fright of his life!'
Asked about his 'previous', the Bath tighthead added: 'I've had some bad instances. The worst it's got in camp has been locking myself out of hotel rooms and getting halfway to the lobby. Hopefully that doesn't happen on this trip. I might just wear a few more layers in bed because I've been caught out a couple of times!'
Stuart and Finn Russell belatedly joined up with the Lions after helping their club seal an historic Treble by winning the Premiership title for the first time in 29 years. Their tense victory over Leicester in the final at Twickenham sparked a wild party which shifted from London to the West Country and on to Ibiza, but by then the two men included in Andy Farrell's British and Irish squad had ducked out.
The pair flew over from Bristol to Dublin last Monday. Asked if they'd had sufficient time to savour Bath's epic feats, Stuart laughed and said: 'Er, yeah! I think we did enough in two days to warrant a season celebration and the day after we were a bit ropey coming in, but I managed to dust off the cobwebs quite quickly. Some of the other Bath lads were still going for a few more days, but I haven't got that sort of staying power, so I was quite glad that I had to do this instead!'
Once the hangover had receded and Stuart was up and running with the rest of the Lions squad, the magnitude of what he is involved in suddenly hit him, in a fleeting interaction with a legend who is part of the management team. 'I had a moment in training the other day when (Johnny) Sexton was running around, helping out,' he said.
'I threw a ball out the back and just thought to myself, 'Wow, I've just thrown a ball out the back to Johnny Sexton, that's quite cool'. He's working with the fly-halves mainly. I'm not sure I'll be picking his brains about kicking 50-22s, but if I get the chance…!'
Joking aside, Stuart demonstrated during the Six Nations that there is a wannabe playmaker hidden in a prop's imposing frame. His side-step and off-load in the win over Italy caused a stir and he had to be politely told to stop trying to repeat the trick every time he received the ball in space. The subsequent banter has been incessant.
'I've been getting stick for that ever since,' he said. 'It's been, 'One viral clip and you've been picked for the Lions'! I had to rein it back a bit, but it's in the locker in case I need it!'
As ever, in his role, the fundamental task for Stuart will be to provide a powerful set-piece platform with his set-piece work. After enduring scrum ordeals during England's Tests in New Zealand last summer, the 28-year-old enjoyed a transformational season of personal progress, to emerge as a prime contender for the Lions' starting tighthead place in the series against Australia.
He will be involved in the first tour fixture Down Under against Western Force here on Saturday and Stuart is already alert to the threat the Wallabies will pose up front in a few weeks' time. 'I've seen their squad and (Will) Skelton is back in,' he said. 'With him at tighthead lock, that is a scary prospect for any opposing front row.
'Their props are all great players. Tupou (AKA 'Tongan Thor') is a big old goose and has a good bit of footwork on him. When he's firing, he's the world's best. They have a strong scrum, so it will be a good ding-dong.'
Having become a Lions devotee while watching the 2013 tour of Australia on a big projector screen at school — 'I remember George North picking up Folau and everything like that' — Stuart is looking forward to the unique touring experience. He will be well supported.
His girlfriend, Nancy, will be spending plenty of time in Australia after throwing herself into the Bath party. Speaking before departure from Dublin, Stuart said: 'She's coming out for a good stint. Actually, she just rocked up here today. We talked about me recovering from the celebrations — I don't think she has. She was worse for wear this morning. I think she's kept on going!
'My mum, stepdad and step-brothers are going to come out for the tour. Mum and my stepdad are getting a camper van and doing the tour properly. They did that in New Zealand (last year) and they were slightly worried that their relationship might not stand the test, but they passed it with flying colours! So, they're going to take it on a big scale to Australia. It'll be cool.'
For Stuart himself and the Lions squad, all the journeys between cities will be by air. On the pitch, he has been flying all season — now he has a chance to soar to career heights over the coming weeks.
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