'Sean Holley announced the boys who made it and also announced the boys who hadn't which was a bit weird and awkward'
Ex-Wales tighthead Adam Jones has recalled the contrasting moments when he learned he had been selected to tour with the Lions in 2009 and 2013. The current Harlequins assistant coach is hopeful his club will hear some good news this Thursday when Warren Gatland announces his 2021 Lions squad to tour South Africa.
Twelve years ago, when the Lions last toured the home of the Springboks, Jones was chosen by Ian McGeechan but he didn’t immediately hear the good news as he was training when the live announcement took place and he recalls things then got awkward when he eventually learned he had been selected.
“In ’09 we were training in the Vale with the Ospreys in the indoor arena,” said Jones, reflecting back on his first Lions tour call-up. “Training was cut-off about halfway through and Sean Holley announced the boys who made it and also announced the boys who hadn’t made it which was a bit weird and a bit awkward.
“So Ryan Jones didn’t make the squad, Hooky [James Hook] didn’t make the squad, Gav (Henson) didn’t make it. It was amazing to get the nod but it also was awkward when you are in a huddle in the middle of a training session and three boys who expected to go, I thought they might go, didn’t go.
“But the next one (in 2013) was just on Sky in the morning. I was pleased to go myself to Australia but to have two good mates like Hibs [Richard Hibbard] and Ian Evans to go as well, who I played a lot of rugby… just the elation to have two good mates go on tour with you and both were actually really good tourists.”
"We were training in the gym and someone came up and said, 'Unlucky mate'"
– @heagneyl hears how James Haskell coped with his Lions rejection four years ago before receiving a Gatland bolt from the blue #Lions 🦁 https://t.co/wm2Qej6GdI
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 5, 2021
Getting selected was only the start for Jones, though, not the end as he set about working his way into Lions team selection, going on to make five Test appearances across the two series he was involved in. “If you grow up certainly where I’m from you are made aware of the Welsh teams of the 70s and made aware of Lions early doors.
“Then you get the Living with the Lions video which was massive for understanding the passion and what it means to players and coaches, your McGeechans, Telfers, these guys who drove it so well. We used to recite the speeches from that video.
“For me it’s the biggest thing for a British and Irish rugby player. There are World Cups with your country and I’m sure the English guys will have thoughts on that, but for me you get picked for the Lions and it’s the biggest thing you can do but then you want to play Test matches and then you want to win series. That for me was the biggest driver.
“I didn’t want to go on tour and just be a bit-part player, I wanted to go on tour and play in the Tests but also impact the Tests. That was my big driving force. As soon as you get that jersey as a rugby player it’s the best feeling. It doesn’t get much better than that.”
With Harlequins’ players on a day off on Thursday, they won’t be together as a squad to hear the 2021 Lions announced. They didn’t have players starring in the recent Guinness Six Nations with England but the club form of the likes of Danny Care, Marcus Smith and Joe Marler has them in the selection conversation ahead of Gatland’s big reveal.
Jones can’t wait to learn what unfolds. “The boys have been brilliant,” he said about the rich vein of form that has Harlequins challenging for a Gallagher Premiership playoff place and in Gatland’s thoughts. “The senior boys like Danny, Joe, Mike Brown, these guys have been excellent. They have bought into the plans we put forward to them.
“We kick more than anyone but it is the quality of kicks that someone like Danny Care is putting in. He is playing so well, that is what is getting him into the mix with the Lions talk. Marcus Smith’s kicking. We don’t just run it up our arse from our own line, we play in the right areas, we kick well, chase well and the boys are playing for each other now which is fantastic to see.
“The London Irish game was testament to that. If we get a player, if we get a couple of players in (the Lions), it’s nothing more than those guys deserve because the last ten weeks have been a total shift really.”
This will be special‼️ 🦁 https://t.co/pofXFObBej
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 4, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
Wasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
3 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
3 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
30 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
3 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
30 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
30 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
30 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
30 Go to comments