‘Ellis Genge surprised me that he's not a d***head,' says Lions hooker Dan Sheehan
Ireland hooker Dan Sheehan has revealed that the biggest revelation of the Lions tour thus far is discovering that England prop Ellis Genge is 'not a d***head'.
Both Sheehan and Genge are first-time Lions tourists having appeared on opposing sides several times during the Six Nations. The impression of Genge, who was the standout player in last Friday's 28-24 defeat by Argentina, has not always been favourable, but the beauty of Lions tours is the manner in which antagonists can become amigos.
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The Irish Sun
29 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Dan Sheehan makes hilarious admission about Six Nations rival and Lions teammate Ellis Genge
DAN Sheehan admits he was surprised to learn fellow Lion Ellis Genge is 'not a d***head'. The front-row rivals have joined forces Down Under, with both players strong contenders to start the First Test against Australia on July 19. Advertisement 2 Sheehan will be hungry for more silverware after Leinster's URC win 2 Genge started as loosehead prop for the Lions against Argentina And Ireland hooker Sheehan confessed: 'It's mad how fast you can go from despising people to hanging around with them and going for coffee. 'Genge would be a good one. He's a passionate, animated player for England and someone who we, as Ireland, would need to target. "Now he's one person you enjoy having on the team. And he's a funny bloke off the pitch. Everyone loves him. You can see the passion he brings to meetings, on to the pitch and in the scrum. 'He's definitely someone that surprises you that he's not a d***head.' Advertisement Read more on Irish sport As part of the Leinster team The 26-year-old is hoping for his Lions debut in Saturday's collision with Western Force. He added: 'I want to feel I can contribute to the jersey.' The Blues star says the biggest challenge facing head coach Andy Farrell is gelling together players from four different nations. He added: 'Test rugby is so detailed, every inch of the game we play today is so hyper-detailed that it's tricky to do in two weeks. Advertisement Most read in Rugby Union 'You saw that in Dublin. Getting that all working together is what Faz has been labouring on with us already. "There's so much talent in the room and how we get it on to the pitch is the main challenge of the tour.' 'Big weekend' - Peter O'Mahony embarking on hectic gardening project as he aims to add '300 plants'
Irish Examiner
36 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Fazball the way forward for Lions team intent on playing exciting rugby
In mid-November, cricket's Ashes series will commence in the same Optus Stadium where the British & Irish Lions will kick off their tour of Australia on Saturday. There are some keen cricket fans within the Lions squad who stayed up late to watch England's compelling final-day win at Headingley, but out on the training pitch the collective priority is not so much Bazball as its oval-shaped cousin, Fazball. Andy Farrell, the Lions head coach, has been at pains since his squad's arrival here to make two things clear. The first is that preparation time is of the essence and should not be wasted by endlessly second-guessing what might lie ahead. The second is that the touring side can not afford to retreat into their tactical shells after their loss to Argentina in Dublin last Friday. Those two themes are neatly entwined in a catchy aphorism often attributed to Mother Teresa and cheerfully recycled by the prop Pierre Schoeman after a full-bore practice session in warm sunshine at Hale School in Perth's suburbs. 'Yesterday is gone forever, tomorrow might never come, now is the time to live.' Schoeman says: 'That's what we do as Lions. It's about the here and now. That's what's really matters.' That means focusing on what the Lions can control rather than continuing to dwell on their costly errors and missed opportunities against the Pumas. 'It's definitely not about pointing the finger and tightening up,' says Andrew Goodman, the Kiwi attack coach. 'We've just talked a bit about how you turn those offloads which went to ground into successful offloads. When we were successful it was because we won the collisions and sighted our targets.' In other words, the Lions are still looking to be positive with ball in hand, rather than instantly reverting to the kind of restrictive gameplan favoured by Warren Gatland against the Springboks on their last tour in 2021. On that trip, the Lions managed two tries in three Tests and ended up losing the series and, to some extent, eroding the faith of even their most loyal fans. The stats from last Friday – the Lions made 16 entries into their opponents' 22 compared to the victorious Pumas' five – certainly supported the theory that the squad has plenty of potential but, as ever, that needs to be paired with more consistent execution. Or, as Goodman put it: 'Ultimately, when it comes to a Test match, it's about winning, but we are going to develop our game so we can play at speed and give something to the fans who have paid a lot of money to come over here and watch us. 'We want to give them something to be proud of. But that's also the way we want to play as a team, to excite the group. It will help grow the game if there are two teams attacking.' That mission statement has been further bolstered by the latest injury bulletins. Jamison Gibson-Park missed the Argentina game and the URC final with a glute muscle injury, but is running again while his Ireland teammate Hugo Keenan is recovering from a calf strain. 'Jamison trained pretty much fully today, Hugo continued on with a bit of rehab and James Ryan was out there doing some bits and pieces as well,' said Goodman. 'It's all tracking well.' Goodman, whose brother Chris is the general manager of Saturday's opponents, Western Force, was also encouraged by the news that the Reds, the Lions' first midweek opponents in Brisbane next Wednesday, will be bolstered by the release of two players from the Wallaby squad preparing to face Fiji on Sunday week. The centre Hunter Paisami, who has 31 caps, and prop Matt Faessler, capped 14 times, will be involved although six other Queensland-based players – Tate McDermott, Tom Lynagh, Filipo Daugunu, Harry Wilson, Zane Nonggorr and Fraser McReight – will remain with the main Wallabies squad. This follows the polite but firm reminders this week about the terms of the tour agreement with the Lions hoping to encounter the strongest possible opposition in the buildup to the best-of-three Test series. That said, the former Crusaders' assistant coach expects every opponent to be pawing the turf regardless of who plays. 'If you watch a Force team or a Reds team during Super Rugby it's not an indication of what you're going to get against a Lions team,' Goodman said. 'It's a once-in-a-life opportunity for most of those guys so the level of intensity is going to be through the roof.' Guardian
Irish Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Mack Hansen and the rest of the overseas crew 'fully submerged' in Lions culture
Mack Hansen and the rest of the British and Irish Lions' overseas-born players are fully entitled to play their part in the tour of Australia, claims Pierre Schoeman. The Scotland prop is one of eight Lions players born, raised and educated in South Africa, New Zealand or Australia. However they have qualified for their home unions through residency or family lineage. In Hansen's case, his mother hails from Cork and she had emigrated to Australia, which is where the Connacht and Ireland player was born and raised. Lions great Willie John McBride has said it 'bothered' him, while former England scrum-half Danny Care declared that 'it doesn't sit that well with me', that a group of overseas players are involved. 'If you're good enough to play for your country, you're good enough to play for the Lions and you're selected, then obviously you're going to do that,' said Schoeman, who made five appearances for South Africa Under-20s in 2014. 'Playing for the Lions is massive. Scotland is home for us, my wife and myself. I know that's for the other players as well, like Mack Hansen has made Ireland home. 'You embrace that. You fully take that on. It's like the series Outlander – you move to a different country and now that's your house. You live there. If you work for one of the big four in finance, you get the opportunity, you're going to go for it. And you can really make that home. 'But this is much different. To represent the British and Irish Lions, you fully buy into that and its culture. You fully submerge into that. Nothing else matters. Not your past, not the future. It's about the now. 'Yesterday is gone forever, tomorrow might never come, now is the time to live. That's what we do as Lions. It's about the now, this tour. This is what really matters.' The Lions arrived in Perth on the back of a 28-24 defeat by Argentina in Dublin, where they were given a taster of the support to come in Australia. A sold-out Aviva Stadium was swamped in red for the tour send-off and Schoeman insists it is essential to deliver for the hoards of fans who will make the journey Down Under. 'It was an amazing experience in Dublin to see the red army. It was incredible,' he said. 'You have to feel the responsibility of 50,000 or more fans coming to Australia. So you have a massive obligation and responsibility. 'We as the selected guys, management and players in this team have to make it happen. There's no space for dead weight on this team. Everyone has to push in the same direction. 'It's about driving this whole team towards a collective goal of going beyond and being back-to-back winners against Australia.'
