Henry Pollock meets his match at British & Irish Lions get together
The British & Irish Lions met for the first time on Sunday in a blur of kit fittings, sponsor appearances and flat white coffees.
Having been selected for the touring party on May 8, Andy Farrell's chosen 38 men met at Richmond Hill on Sunday morning, bar Marcus Smith, who joined up in the evening after playing for Harlequins against Exeter Chiefs down the road at Twickenham, and Jac Morgan, who was returning from Ospreys' trip to South Africa.
The Scotland full back Blair Kinghorn, minus his knee brace, came in from Toulouse, while the Northampton Saints four of Tommy Freeman, Alex Mitchell, Fin Smith and Henry Pollock shared a taxi and arrived together, to be met by the 12 Leinstermen they had humbled in
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
17 minutes ago
- The Sun
‘We don't have much influence' – Tottenham star breaks ranks as he labels Ange Postecoglou sacking ‘strange'
MICKY VAN DE VEN has branded Tottenham's brutal axing of Ange Postecoglou as a 'strange decision'. Postecoglou was shown the door just 16 days after ending the club's 17-year trophy drought with Europa League glory in Bilbao. 2 2 The North Londoners are very close to appointing Brentford boss Thomas Frank as his successor. Yet the decision to axe the Aussie is understood to have left many of the players disappointed given the success they enjoyed in Europe. And while on international duty with the Netherlands, centre-back Van de Ven, 24, said: 'As players, we don't have much to say about that. 'Of course, he was the first coach in a long time to win a trophy and have success at Spurs. 'So, if you look at it that way, it's definitely a strange decision. 'But it's a decision made by the club, and we don't have much say in that, so we'll see what happens next. 'We're of course seeing some rumpus about the Brentford manager likely becoming the next one. 'So yes, it's a decision by the club that we don't have much influence over.' Daniel Levy decided to wield the axe after an awful Premier League campaign which saw Spurs finish 17th. They lost a club-record 22 league games, which was the first time ever a Prem team has managed that and NOT been relegated. BBC star shares shock theory as to why Tottenham waited exactly 16 days after Europa League win to sack Ange Postecoglou And yet Postecoglou ended the club's silverware curse with their Europa win, which also got them back into the Champions League. Most of the Spurs squad have been effusive in their praise of Postecoglou on social media following his sacking and what he did for them as players and as people. Van de Ven, who missed much of the league campaign through injury, added: 'I think a lot of players had a good relationship with him. Ange Breaks Silence On Tottenham Sacking ANGE Postecoglou issued a statement just moments after being axed. It read: "When I reflect on my time as manager of Tottenham Hotspur, my overriding emotion is one of pride. "The opportunity to lead one of England's historic football clubs and bring back the glory it deserves will live with me for a lifetime. "Sharing that experience with all those who truly love this club and seeing the impact it had on them is something I will never forget. "That night in Bilbao was the culmination of two years of hard work, dedication and unwavering belief in a dream. "There were many challenges to overcome and plenty of noise that comes with trying to accomplish what many said was not possible. "We have also laid the foundations that means this club should not have to wait 17 more years for their next success. "I have enormous faith in this group of players and know there is much more potential and growth in them. I sincerely want to thank those who are the lifeblood of the club, the supporters. "I know there were some difficult times, but I always felt that they wanted me to succeed and that gave me all the motivation I needed to push on. "It's important to acknowledge the hard working people at Spurs who gave me encouragement on a daily basis. "And finally, I want to thank those who were with me every day for the last two years. "A fantastic group of young men who are now legends of this football club and the brilliant coaches who never once doubted we could do something special. 'We are forever connected. Audere est Facere.' 'And of course, like I said, he was the first coach in a long time to bring success to Spurs. 'That also shows he has a certain quality. It also means he has a winning mentality - one hundred per cent. 'So from that point of view, you'd naturally say it's strange that he was sacked. 'But of course, what we showed in the league was unacceptable. 'That, however, could have been due to several factors… it wouldn't have just been the coach.'
The Sun
17 minutes ago
- The Sun
Amateur star dubbed ‘next Katie Taylor' had text ignored by Eddie Hearn before one sparring sessions changed it all
AMATEUR boxing sensation Tiah Ayton had her message to Eddie Hearn IGNORED - until one sparring session changed everything. Ayton - still just 18 years old - was a standout amateur winning ALL of her bouts as a four-time national champion. 3 3 3 She had an outstanding 21-0 record in the unpaid ranks and over 300 bouts altogether in kickboxing and Muay Thai too. But she had her heart set on the pros - even turning down a Team GB contract - to follow in the footsteps of boxing great Katie Taylor. And like 2012 Olympic champion Taylor - Ayton reached out personally to get herself of Hearn's radar - but to no avail. She told SunSport with a laugh: "I messaged him saying like, 'Hopefully one day you can sign me.' "But he never messaged me back! So hopefully he can message me back now." Despite the aired message, soon Hearn would know who Ayton was. The teenage talent was recruited as a sparring partner by former WBC featherweight champion Skye Nicolson earlier in the year. Watching on at trainer Eddie Lam's iBox Gym in Bromley was Hearn - so impressed by Ayton he cut a deal to sign her there and then. Ayton knew it was going to be no regular sparring session - sensing it was the opportunity of a lifetime. She said: "I had to put my everything into it, like, it wasn't a normal spar. I looked at it as like it was a fight. Terence Crawford starts training camp for huge Canelo Alvarez fight "And it all paid off, so I'm happy with it. He said I was great, he said I looked good, interesting to watch and everything." Ayton is also managed by Brian Peters, who has helped take Taylor to undisputed titles in TWO weight divisions. And Ayton - dubbed "the next Katie Taylor" - has received words of wisdom from the Irish icon herself. Ayton revealed: "I spoke to her on the phone and stuff. She was saying she's excited to watch my debut and everything, she's seen footage of me. "So it's exciting. She's very inspirational for young women to look up to and want to go into boxing." Ayton makes her pro debut on June 21 in Birmingham on Galal Yafai's undercard at super-batamweight.
The Sun
17 minutes ago
- The Sun
Sam Thompson gives health update ahead of Soccer Aid clash with ex Zara McDermott's new man
SAM Thompson has given a health update ahead of his Soccer Aid clash with ex Zara McDermott's new man. The I'm A Celeb king, 34, raised more than £1.5m for Unicef by running and biking 260 miles from Stamford Bridge, Chelsea, to Old Trafford, Manchester, where the game will be played at the weekend. 6 6 6 But Sam has since revealed tat his Soccer Aid appearance is hanging in the balance as he continues to recover from his gruelling charity run. Now, in a new health update, Sam said: ' 'Trying to get those legs right for soccer aid!! I WILL play a part [laughing face emoji].' He could be seen standing in an ice bath in his post shared to fans, and held onto the sides while grimacing. The star seemed to suggest that he will be doing all he can from now until Soccer Aid, to make sure he can be a part of the day. The former Made In Chelsea star is set to come face-to-face with ex girlfriend Zara's new man, One Direction star Louis Tomlinson, if he takes part. Both Sam and Louis will be playing for England, which they have done in previous years. It follows another recent update from the star, while speaking on Hits Radio. He said his body is still suffering, and explained: 'I am so tired but elated. I'm so glad we got it done… "Never again [am I getting on a bike] I think I'm prone to saddle issues! After day one I still to this point can't feel bits of my privates. I'm being deadly serious! "The bike is a wild thing, Tracey who was with me going up these hills when we were skirting round the edge of Wales, that was mad and you're just going so slowly and you feel like your bike is going to topple over! I did think to myself this is the first time I've ridden a bike in so long..." Detailing how adapting for one leg issue has aggravated others, Sam continued: "Because I was running in a different way my shin was really inflamed so I couldn't even run on my tiptoes so I was running side to side. "I describe it as plugging holes, so like the calf tears so that's one hole you've got to plug so then I run on my tiptoes with my leg straight. "OK well that then messes up my ankle ligaments because everything is running through your ankle; then your ankle ligament explodes so then you can't do that... you're trying to play chess against yourself, whilst trying not to panic because I can't move my leg and it's still pretty bad." Though it's up in the air if he'll be fit in time to step onto the pitch at the weekend, Sam is still going to be a presence at training sessions in the build up under the care of Gary the physio. He said: "I'm just going to go lie on his bed every single day and get a rub down...!" Sam cuddled his sister Louise after finishing the challenge but his girlfriend Samie Elishi wasn't in attendance. He also received a phone call from Orlando Bloom in the This Morning studio who congratulated him on the superhuman effort. Chris Hughes, Ryan Libbey and Josh Patterson were all on hand at various points of the challenge to offer support. 6 6 6
