Friday is toughest day
On the past two tours the build-up proved as much of an emotional challenge as the match
The build-up to a Lions Test is intense and emotional – something I know, having played in five of the past six. The toughest day for many people, and a time you just want to get away from rugby, is the day before. I liked to go to the cinema. In Brisbane before the first Test four years ago Richard Hibbard and myself went to watch an awful Brad Pitt film, World War Z.
On the way back we realised that our route to the hotel took us past a bar with about 200 Lions fans outside, so we decided to leg it. We had our hoods up but my stomach and beard popped out and his stomach and long hair popped out, so we were not hard to spot. It must have looked slightly odd, the two of us sprinting past a bar cheering us all the way back to our hotel. The focal point before any Test is Patrick “Rala” O’reilly’s room. Rala is the kitman and an amazing guy. He was Ireland’s kitman for years and has done a few Lions tours, including this one. His room is always open and he has got sweets and coffee for everyone. Some lads will spend hours in there, others nip in and out, but everyone will be there at some point. It is more reserved on a match day. Most people, me included, go into their shell, while there is more nervous chatter from some – George North is one who springs to mind. Some grow in stature. Mike Phillips would change on a match day. His attitude would become: “This is my day to show the world how amazing I am.”
Mike gave me the best advice of my career on the morning of the first Test in Durban in 2009. At breakfast Paul O’connell was telling us about the photoshoot he had done at the stadium the day before with Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha. I was in awe of these guys and asked him whether they were massive and seemed like they were out of a film. Phillsy just went for me, telling me I was showing them too much respect and that I needed to wise up. He was bang on and that helped so much going into the Test.