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Jack Conan: 'Shocking' training session fed into 'how s***' Lions were
By Ian Cameron at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Jack Conan has admitted that a poor training session two days before the second Test may have played a part in the British & Irish Lions’ disjointed performance in Melbourne.
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The tourists scraped a dramatic 29-26 win over the Wallabies at the MCG to seal the series, but were forced to come from 18 points down and only led the match for the first time in the final minute.
“It wasn’t my best game. A lot of us weren’t at the races at all, but we stuck in there,” said the Ireland No.8. “You can’t fault the effort. I thought the defensive sets we put in, just whacking people and just staying in there, was unbelievable.”
Conan suggested the warning signs had been there on Thursday, when the squad had what he described as a substandard training session. It was during that same run-out that Garry Ringrose ruled himself out of selection, despite having been lined up to make his Lions Test debut.
“We were not at our best by any measure, but physically the lads dug in unbelievably well,” Conan said. “It was disappointing how we played, but we played for 80 minutes. Hugo getting over the line in the last minute was just unbelievable.
“It’s something that will go down in history. They won’t be writing the history books about how s*** we were, but they’ll say that we won and that’s all that matters.
“Everyone’s over the moon. To be part of a Lions winning series team is incredibly special. The celebrations in the changing room wouldn’t have been the same if we’d won by 20.
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“With the shortened week with the First Nations & Pasifika game on the Tuesday, and everything else, it was a bit tricky. We trained Monday, Tuesday, but really lightly. On Thursday, you can ask the lads, we were pretty shocking at training. We were all over the place, so, maybe that fed in a bit on Saturday. It doesn’t matter.”
The Lions had been under pressure for large portions of the contest and trailed 23-5 after half an hour before clawing their way back. It was fullback Hugo Keenan’s try with just 51 seconds left on the clock that finally tipped the scoreboard in their favour in what was one of the most dramatic Lions Tests in recent memory.
Conan credited the group’s resilience and said a message sent to the squad in the build-up by Irish boxing legend Katie Taylor helped deliver some much-needed perspective.
“The video was unbelievably poignant and powerful. It spoke about being prepared to win with skill, but also being ready to win by will,” said Conan.
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“That was something that was massively summed up in the game because we were not at our best at all.”
Olympic gold medallist Taylor had recorded a message for the Lions ahead of the second Test. Her words resonated strongly with Conan in particular, as both hail from the town of Bray in County Wicklow.
“It’s huge because she comes from the town I’m from. I’m incredibly proud of where I come from and I know Katie is as well,” he said.
“She’s gone on to achieve incredible feats in the boxing world. To be such a superstar, incredibly humble and driven is something that we leant on as well because we knew that Australia are a hugely proud nation and they showed it in spades.”
Conan said Taylor’s message cut through across the squad, regardless of background or nationality.
“Everyone loved it, even the English and the Scottish boys and the Welsh boy – it resonated with everyone. It was unbelievably poignant, it was class. It really hit home for us.”