Biggar fosters pride of Lions
THE Lions flew out to New Zealand yesterday preparing to circle the wagons before the greatest challenge of their careers.
While the emphasis will be on being good ambassadors and on not locking themselves away from the public, there is a realisation that they will be taking on a nation as well as a series of formidable teams over the coming weeks.
As a Kiwi, Lions coach Warren Gatland knows how New Zealanders think and he has warned his players that any sign of weakness will be ruthlessly exploited.
“Gats has spoken a lot about the home support and how they will try to make our life a bit uncomfortable,” said Lions stand-off Dan Biggar.
“We have to make sure we are in a bubble when we’re in our hotels, on our training grounds and at games.
“We have to make sure it’s just us as a group out there and not let anything from the outside put us off, on or off the field.”
For a squad drawn from four nations and only finally assembled on Sunday, such unity will be hard to create but they are trying.
The choir practice has been paying dividends judging by the performance at Sunday evening’s send-off dinner in London and when they reach New Zealand they will be sharing rooms to foster bonds.
“I made the decision when coming down to breakfast that I didn’t want to be with players from my club or country because a tour like this is about getting on with guys you didn’t think you would get on with,” added Biggar.
“That’s important and almost as useful as what we do on the field. There are a couple of characters in the squad – Ben Te’o and Kyle Sinckler. They’re really good value off the field. Players like that are important when you’re away for six weeks.” For Biggar, the business of bonding involved reaching out in particular to his stand-off rivals Johnny Sexton and Owen Farrell during their training camp in Ireland. “What I’ve found interesting is the amount you pick up off them,” said Biggar. “We have chats after training and talk about tactics. Johnny and I have got on really well and after playing so often against him it’s good to be on the same side. “You get a good perspective on No 10 play. We’re not holding anything back from each other. “I look forward to challenging him and Owen, but the greater aim is to win the Test series so if any of us has any knowledge that can help that, it’s important we put it out there. “We’re not afraid to speak our minds and say what we think. That will suit the team. You want your 10 to have a bit of authority and confidence to push you around the field rather than do it softly-softly and, when it comes to putting your foot down, you’re not taken as firmly as you’d like. “We are competing for the same position, we all want that 10 shirt but we will all back whoever’s playing in all the games because we have the chance to achieve something historic.” Only once has a Lions team returned triumphant from a tour of New Zealand. Given the nature of the opposition in a 10-game schedule described as “suicidal” by Graham Henry, this could arguably be the toughest tour of them all. “The majority of their Super Rugby teams are flying. It will be a huge task for us, and not just the three Tests. The games against the Super teams will be hugely important as well,” said Biggar. “There will be no greater challenge.”