‘Chalk and cheese' – Jack Conan explains why Lions' Australia Tour is completely different to 2021 version
Since the
Advertisement
2
Conan has started two games and appeared off the bench in a third on Tour so far
2
The 32-year-old played all three tests against South Africa four years ago
The party have had a gruelling schedule compared with Joe Schmidt's Aussies — just one warm-up game, an unconvincing 21-18 win over Fiji ten days ago.
Ireland back rower
'There's no replacement for playing rugby. We're in a good spot.'
Conan was a three-Test Lion in South Africa four years ago, on a tour with no fans because of the pandemic.
Advertisement
Read more on Irish sport
Now, he is waiting to hear if he will play in front of a 52,500 full house at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium this weekend.
Ahead of boss Farrell naming his matchday 23 tomorrow, Conan added: 'It was massively different with no one in the crowd.
'It felt eerie and strange not to have anyone there in what should be the biggest occasion of your career. This is chalk and cheese.
'I can't remember how nervous I was four years ago. All you can do is do your best when you get the opportunities and in the last few weeks, I feel I've done that.'
Advertisement
Most read in Rugby Union
Wing
Hugo Keenan is likely to be named at full-back, with Tommy Freeman and James Lowe on the wing.
Craig Casey shares hilarious 'fear' weighing on him before captaining Ireland for first time vs Georgia
Centre Garry Ringrose and hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie are out of contention with concussion.
Mari Itoje's efforts to distract Australia could be Shot Down in Flames — thanks to a bunch of Aussie rock legends.
Advertisement
Wallabies forwards coach Geoff Parling, the ex-England lock, has had AC/DC blaring out at full volume — knowing Lions skipper Itoje will try to put them off at lineouts by yelling so they cannot hear their set-piece codes.
Aussie lock Jeremy Williams said: 'We have been using music as a tool to try to distract the boys from the calls, so when we get into the arena we can react and listen to the calls. The music's been loud, bit of AC/DC.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
3 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Andy Farrell and Joe Schmidt both expect better for second Test
Andy Farrell has been here before with the British and Irish Lions. Twelve years ago he was an assistant to Warren Gatland as the Lions brought a 1-0 lead into the second Test in Melbourne, only for the tourists to show up lame in a tense and nervous affair, where Adam Ashley-Cooper scored the only try of the game on 74 minutes, to give the Wallabies a 16-15 win. Recent Lions history has shown how hard it is to repeat the physical and mental performances from a first Test win into a second, with South Africa in 2009 the last to have won the first two games of a Lions series. Last week in Brisbane, the Lions came out flying with Tadhg Beirne and Tom Curry launching into the Wallabies from the first whistle, and the game was effectively won by half time. But Farrell doesn't believe it's inherently difficult to hit that same emotional pitch two weeks in a row. "It shouldn't be [hard] because that's all here, in the head," the Lions head coach said on Thursday, after naming his side for the second Test in Melbourne. "I suppose everyone is a human being. But if you look at it from an Australian point of view, they played the same 80 minutes, the same contest. "It cannot be the case that they're more up for this game because they're in the exact same scenario. "I honestly believe this is one of the biggest, if not the biggest game we have all been involved with so selection always matters in that regard until we get to the next one." On paper, Saturday's Test at the MCG looks far more evenly balanced, with the Wallabies pack considerably bolstered by the return to fitness of Rob Valetini, Will Skelton and Dave Porecki. And while the Wallabies are likely to be better with another week of rugby in their legs, Farrell is demanding improvement from his own team, who he admits had "a dip in focus" during the second half, after they had cruised out to a 24-5 lead. "It wasn't just one thing, it was a number of things and a dip in focus is probably what goes with that, the intent drops off a little bit and what that looks like to us might look something different to another team. "During victory you get an opportunity to be unbelievably honest and show each other just how much you can improve and there has been nothing but that this week as far as honesty is concerned, about where we can get to. "We certainly feel we left a few things out there, most aspects of our game will need to better but it is proving to ourselves it can be better as well. "Doing things properly, that is what we have talked about all week, what it looks like for us and the expectation that it has to happen the majority of the time. "We are realists, we are all human and we realise it is not going to be perfect all of the time, it is not going to be a perfect 85-minute performance but staying on it as much as we can will give us a better chance of getting what we want. "This game might be completely different, we might have a role reversal and we have to adapt and be honest with ourselves and stay on point if we are in front, if we are behind, things going your way, not going your way. It is just staying honest as long as we possibly can." Farrell's opposite number Joe Schmidt remained optimistic after last Saturday's game, clinging to the positives of their two late tries in the 27-19 defeat at Suncorp Stadium, while also knowing he would have three more forwards back on deck for the MCG. However, while he repeated his pride in how his side fought back last week, Schmidt acknowledged that they can't allow a repeat of last week's first half, when they were bullied up front by the tourists. "We don't want to be nice, and we don't want to be submissive," the Wallabies head coach said. "I thought the First Nations Pasifika team did a fantastic job [on Tuesday], but after 31 minutes, they've conceded 13 linebreaks. If we do that in a Test match, we could be a lot further behind than the FNP team were on Tuesday evening. "So we've got to make sure we get the balance right, that some of that aggressive line-speed that they brought, we've got to bring that, but we've also got to make sure that it's connected because when you leak like that and they can play in behind you, then it's very hard to get back in front of them. So 13 line breaks to two, after 30 minutes, we can't afford to have that stat. "We didn't have the intention last week, and we don't have the intention this week of being submissive." And the former Ireland boss believes a win against the Lions, in front of an expected 90,000 crowd at Australis's most storied ground, could have a force-multiplier effect on his side going forward. "I'd certainly love that to happen. I've been lucky to have been on the periphery of some fantastic outcomes over the last 20 years of coaching professionally, but this would be special inevitably. "It'd be special for this group. I think it would accelerate a little bit of their growth as well, because in terms of gaining confidence, it's hard to top competing with the best. "At the same time, it's like any sport. If you play against a team that are stacked and maybe have more experience than you do and have a richness of talent across the board, then that's how you start to extend your own performance. And I'd love to see some of the players really extend their own performances. "I honestly felt we saw a little bit of it, particularly in that second half last Saturday, but also I'm a realist. I know that last Saturday will count for nothing at kick-off. Those last 25 minutes, we won't get to live those again -- we've got to be able to create those again."
The 42
4 hours ago
- The 42
Porter's pride, family in Oz, prop friend, and cut ears
ANDREW PORTER HAS just come from training and there are cuts on his ears gently weeping as he sits down for an interview. His ears are cut all year round now. This is the life of an international prop. In fact, he and his wife, Elaine, had to buy black bed linen. 'I can't have white pillowcases at home anymore because it looks like Texas Chainsaw Massacre after I wake up in the morning,' says Porter with a smile. 'I've been banned from the white linens anyway at home.' A massive part of Porter would love to be at home in Ireland right now. Elaine gave birth to their son in May and it's tough being away at this stage. 'I've learned that babies get very big when you're away from home,' says Porter when he's asked what this Lions tour has taught him. 'My wife is at home looking after the baby. He's nine weeks now. 'I could say it's not easy for me but I don't think my wife would like that too much. I wouldn't get much sympathy! Advertisement 'My wife is at home looking after our baby at the moment. She's the one in the trenches at home at the moment. I'm in the trenches over here. Well, I can't really say that. We're looked after here quite well. 'But it's a sacrifice on both ends. She's there with sleepless nights at home looking after him and I'm here representing my family, my country, and representing the Lions. It's two different kinds of sacrifices. But I'll definitely owe her for this for a long time anyway.' Ellis Genge with Andrew Porter. Billy Stickland / INPHO Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO Porter is doing them proud in Australia. He came off the bench for his Lions Test debut last weekend in Brisbane, a brilliant moment for him given that he was ruled out of the 2021 Lions tour due to injury. And on Saturday, Porter will make his first Lions Test start after head coach Andy Farrell named him in the number one shirt for the second Wallabies clash. He will have family watching in person in Melbourne. His father, Ernie, arrived for the first Test in Brisbane and will be there on Saturday too, enjoying a 'a nice old holiday,' according to his son. Ernie's two sisters, Becky and Vera, live in Australia, so Porter has had his aunties and cousins supporting him too. 'They're all around the place - Perth, Brisbane, most of them in Sydney. 'It's a good opportunity for him to go and meet up with all the family and everything. I mean, it's great for me as well. There's a lot of them I wouldn't have even met before. A few cousins and stuff, a lot of them I haven't seen in years and years. 'So, it's a great opportunity to reconnect with family as well as being down here.' Porter packs down with two familiar faces in the Lions' front row on Saturday. He's part of an all-Leinster, all-Irish front row along with Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong. Porter with a Lions fan. Billy Stickland / INPHO Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO 'It's incredible being in the squad with them and being able to pack down with them in a Lions Test is another step up again,' says Porter. 'I'm delighted to be able to do it alongside them. I just need to be on top of my game because they've had great tours so far, so I just need to be able to make them look good.' Porter takes over from Ellis Genge as the Lions' starting loosehead but they know they're a combination. When Genge was picked to start the first Test, Porter was the first man to congratulate him and that was reciprocated when Porter was named. 'He's an incredible guy, an incredible player, and it's been great to build a friendship as well as learn from him,' says Porter. 'He's one of the best in the business so it's great being able to become closer as mates and learn from each other along the way. 'But yeah, he was the first one to congratulate me yesterday and sure he handed out my cap to me last week instead of my dad. So he's the dad of the squad. He's a great fella and a great player.'
Irish Daily Mirror
5 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Italian media in a frenzy over Evan Ferguson's four-goal display
It's times like these where you long for the return of Gazzetta Football Italia, that iconic Channel 4 show that beamed the best of Serie A into Irish and UK living rooms in the 1990s. James Richardson's newspaper review - where the show's presenter would sit outside a cafe and go through the big stories of the week - was one of the highlights of the wildly popular highlights show. Oh for a return of that segment so that Richardson could run through the headlines marking Evan Ferguson's arrival and his sensational first appearance in Roma colours. Fair enough, it was a behind-closed-doors friendly against a team from Serie D. But what's the saying? You can only play what's in front of you. And you will be hard pressed to find a better way to settle into a new environment than with four goals and an assist. And after just a day training with his new teammates, Ferguson's link-up play at this early stage shows great promise ahead of the tougher tests that are to come. He combined well with Paulo Dybala, and teed up the Argentine World Cup winner for his goal in the 9-0 rout. Roma have Kaiserslautern on Saturday, then French sides Cannes and Lens, and finally Premier League duo Aston Villa and Everton, before their Serie A opener at home to Bologna on August 23. That's when Ferguson will truly come under the microscope. But already the Italian media are drooling over the Ireland striker. Here's where we need Richardson. One of his favourites was Corriere dello Sport and their first report on a Ferguson performance was glowing. Evan Ferguson scores for Roma against Uni Pomezia (Image: Luciano Rossi/AS Roma via Getty Images) 'The star performer is undoubtedly Evan Ferguson,' writes reporter Jacopo Aliprandi. 'He scored four of the nine goals with which Roma won the second friendly by a landslide, to which he added an assist.' He adds: 'Given that this friendly match was only seen by the accredited press, the fans' curiosity to understand and see the actions of the new arrival Ferguson is great. Four goals and an assist are a calling card that, at the very least, gives us hope.' Francesco Balzani of Gazzetta dello Sport, another Richardson staple, intros his report with: 'Four goals and an assist from the Irish striker in his first with the Giallorossi, in the test against the Serie D club.' He continues: 'Evan Ferguson made his debut today with the Roma shirt in the friendly against UniPomezia. And it was a debut with a bang: four goals and an assist for Dybala in the 9-0 defeat given by the Giallorossi to the team that plays in Serie D. 'Soft test, but the signals coming from Gasp's team are encouraging. With particular reference to Ferguson who scored a hat-trick in less than half an hour and showed all the qualities seen so far in his short career. 'The Irishman, who arrived from Brighton just two days ago and with only one real training session under his belt, broke the deadlock in the match with a powerful header from Dybala's cross… 'With the Argentine, Ferguson has shown that he already has a good understanding.' Evan Ferguson scores for Roma against Uni Pomezia (Image: Luciano Rossi/AS Roma via Getty Images) Michael Di Chiaro of Goal writes: 'The great protagonist of the friendly match which Roma easily won was Evan Ferguson himself, author of four goals and an assist to Dybala.' These are just a few of the early reports on Ferguson's first outing in a Roma shirt. Bring back James Richardson and Gazzetta Football Italia. Or even better, send me to Rome with an expense budget for a season-long supply of coffees, ice creams and newspapers. Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email .
