Blair Kinghorn links up with Lions – and wakes up captain Maro Itoje
And the Scotland full-back was given a shock when he entered his bedroom at the Lions' Brisbane hotel on Monday night.
'I was with Maro. I got in about quarter to 12. I was thinking, 'Surely there won't be anyone in the room',' he said.
'I go in, chuck the bags down and up he pops. I was like, 'Uh, sorry!' He'd been sleeping and I woke him up. It was funny – he woke up, shook my hand and went straight back to sleep.'
Kinghorn played 100 minutes of the Top 14 final and celebrated deep into the night before heading to the airport at midday to catch his flight from Paris to Brisbane.
'My bag was packed. I had to make sure everything was ready before going up from Toulouse to Paris on the Thursday,' said Kinghorn, who recently returned from eight weeks out with a knee injury.
'Luckily my mum and my wife were there to help me take everything up because packing for two separate things is a bit stressful.
'I think I've got everything. All you need is your boots and your passport, so that's fine.
One down, eight to go! 🍿🦁#Lions2025 pic.twitter.com/bCcOlrQ6ir
— British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) June 30, 2025
'It's good to finally be here and it feels a bit more real for me now. I've got all the kit and I'm with the boys.'
The Lions' third fixture on tour, against the Queensland Reds in Brisbane on Wednesday, has come too soon for Kinghorn to make his debut, but Saturday's New South Wales Waratahs clash is a realistic target.
While he is playing catch-up in the race for full-back duties against Australia, having arrived eight days later than the rest of the squad, he is very familiar with the environment he has entered.
'At Toulouse, the squad is so deep and so talented that you've got to be on top of your game. You've got to work hard in training every day,' he said.
'Coaches are on your back the whole time, which is great. It's high pressure, but it makes you thrive.
'It's the same with the Lions. Everyone's here to do their best and to win the Test series and have a successful tour. Every training session is going to be competitive.'
#NouvellePhotoDeProfil #FinaleTOP14 pic.twitter.com/52P2awxr4i
— TOP 14 Rugby (@top14rugby) June 28, 2025
A future Lions tour to France became a talking point in the build-up to the expedition Down Under, but Kinghorn believes the Top 14 would provide a significant obstacle to overcome if the rotation of destination countries is to be expanded.
'There would be no jetlag for starters. It would be pretty cool,' Kinghorn said.
'I don't know how happy the French clubs would be, though, because the Top 14 season is so gruelling and so long. But the public would love it. It would be awesome.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
9 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Man Utd identify Carlos Baleba transfer alternative available in cut-price deal
Brighton have yet to budge on their asking price for Carlos Baleba and this could leave Manchester United turning their attention to more affordable midfield targets Sevilla star Lucien Agoume is the latest name to be linked with Manchester United as the Red Devils seek out cheaper alternatives to Carlos Baleba. United appear unwilling to meet Brighton's nine-figure asking price for Baleba, having already splashed £200million this summer. Earlier this week, it emerged that Morten Hjulmand and Adam Wharton were both being considered, though neither would be straightforward signings. Sporting Lisbon want big money to allow Hjulmand to reunite with Ruben Amorim, while Palace may decide they can't afford to lose Wharton if his team-mates Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi also leave this month. According to reports in Spain (via Sport Witness), Agoume has a release clause worth just under £35m and might be available for even less than that. Other, unnamed Premier League clubs are also said to be in the mix, though one-time suitors Arsenal are unlikely to return for the Frenchman after previous links, having landed Martin Zubimendi in July. Agoume joined Sevilla from Inter Milan in a cut-price deal in 2024, and was a regular last season as the team narrowly escaped relegation from La Liga. He was also part of the French side which reached the semi-finals of the Under-21 Euros, playing in all but one of their matches and captaining the side against Poland. While Profit and Sustainability Rules make a move for Baleba unlikely this summer, a cheaper option such as Agoume could be the answer. However, much may still depend on sales elsewhere. United have signed off on loan exits for the likes of Marcus Rashford and Toby Collyer, but are still working on permanent exits for some other players. Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund are among those who could yet leave, though United and Chelsea remain at odds over a valuation for the former. There are also questions in the goalkeeper position, as links with Gianluigi Donnarumma persist. The arrival of the Italian might rely on United selling Andre Onana, with Inter Milan said to be interested in bringing the Cameroonian back to the San Siro. Despite losing to Arsenal in their opening league game, United are looking at the positives after a tough end to last season. 'The group, for me, is just, I don't know, there's such a good vibe. We're all invested in something,' forward Joshua Zirkzee told club media. "You can really tell that we really want to make sure that we're not doing what we did last season. Also, outside the pitch, there's some good vibes. We're doing a lot of team bonding. I feel we're much closer than we were last season, and hopefully we can translate all of that onto the pitch and share it with you, you know, the rest of the world who's supporting United.'
Daily Mirror
9 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
England U21 hero put up for sale after ONE game due to dressing room spat
Marseille signed England U21 star Jonathan Rowe in the summer but have put the winger up for sale after just one game following a dressing room row with a team-mate One of England's Under-21 stars from the summer, Jonathan Rowe, has been put up for sale by Marseille just one game after signing for the French club. He has been involved in a dressing-room bust-up with Adrien Rabiot and the Ligue 1 giants are ready to get rid of both players immediately. Rowe scored the winner for England's U21s when they claimed glory in Slovakia, seeing off Germany in extra-time. The winger had spent last season on loan at Marseille, but this summer joined permanently from Norwich. However his stay could be short lived with RMC Sport now reporting that he is available for a transfer. It comes after he and the French midfielder were involved in 'unacceptable behaviour' following a 1-0 defeat away to Rennes It is understood that the two players had to be separated after they blamed each other for the loss - which saw Roberto De Zerbi's side concede a stoppage-time winner despite playing with an extra man for more than an hour. Marseille have claimed that the decision was taken as a collective one taken by the club's senior staff, but is not the first time that De Zerbi has taken hard line when it comes to his player's discipline. The French giants explained their extreme decision in a statement on Tuesday. 'Olympique de Marseille announces that Adrien Rabiot and Jonathan Rowe have been placed on the transfer list by the club,' the statement read. 'This decision was taken due to unacceptable behaviour in the dressing room after the match against Stade Rennais FC, in agreement with the technical staff and in accordance with the club's internal code of conduct. The decision was communicated to the two players by the club on Monday.' The row in Marseille the dressing room was heard by journalists and the former Brighton boss made it known that his players had clashed when he addressed the media. Radio station Ici Provence quoted the Italian's translator as he said: 'The others beat us on the pitch and we come back and beat each other here. Do you know what that means? That we have small balls. Whereas in Marseille, we must have big ones.' Marseille finished second last term, but were miles off the pace set by treble winners PSG. The French side added a number of ex-Premier League players this summer with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg signing from Tottenham and Angel Gomes joining from Lille on a free.
Press and Journal
8 hours ago
- Press and Journal
WATCH: Aberdeen's midfield pairing puzzle assessed - who should Jimmy Thelin pick?
After Aberdeen's first two matches of the new Premiership season, our sports journalists Ryan Cryle and Paul Third sat down to discuss Jimmy Thelin's midfield puzzle. Who are his best duo in the centre of the park? So far this campaign, where the Dons have lost 2-0 to Hearts and then Celtic, manager Thelin has deployed a central midfield pairing of Sivert Heltne Nilsen and Leighton Clarkson, and Nilsen and skipper Graeme Shinnie, respectively. In Sunday's defeat to the Hoops at Pittodrie, the Reds boss subbed off veteran pairing Nilsen and Shinnie for Clarkson and Polvara over the second half – with the latter, especially, a player fans are desperate to see get more opportunities as a starter. The Aberdeen gaffer also has Croatian former wunderkind Ante Palaversa – a regular last term – and Icelandic current wunderkind Kjartan Mar Kjartansson, among his options to fill two berths in his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation (if we accept French loanee Adil Aouchiche is the first-choice no.10). What have we learned so far this season, including in the friendly loss to English Championship Ipswich Town, about (some of) Aberdeen's midfield candidates? Which individuals have attributes which our writers think mesh up well together in the middle of the pitch? Where do lesser-used options like the attacking Polvara and 'complete' defensive midfielder Kjartansson fit into the plan? And who would our writers pick as the Dons try to get up and running in a campaign where they have guaranteed European league phase football to look forward to? Let us know what you think in the comments!
