Warrior stunned by Lions call
Tommy Seymour never expected to be going to New Zealand. It has been an incredible journey, the amazed Glasgow back tells Stuart Bathgate
THE announcement of the British & Irish Lions squad for this summer’s tour to New Zealand not only signals the completion of another four-year cycle in rugby’s global calendar. It also represents the culmination of a staggeringly successful phase in the career of Tommy Seymour.
Around this time in 2013, the Nashville-born winger was eagerly awaiting the announcement of the squad for that year’s tour to Australia. Scores of other players from the four countries were in the same position, of course – the crucial difference being that Seymour’s hopes rested on another Scot being picked.
Having not yet played for his country, the Glasgow Warriors back hoped a Lions call-up for Sean Maitland would mean a Scotland call-up for himself. And so it did, setting in motion a series of events that climaxed last week in Seymour’s inclusion – ahead of Maitland – for the three-Test series against the All Blacks.
Last week, when he and Stuart Hogg were named as the only two Scots in Warren Gatland’s squad, Seymour appeared stunned by this climax to his rapid ascent. But no matter how flattered and surprised he felt to be named as a Lion, it is an honour he thoroughly deserves.
Having made his first international appearance on Scotland’s tour to South Africa four years ago, he now has 36 caps. One of the most selfcritical players in the game, the 28-year-old has got better and better with experience, proving to be one of the PRO12’s most lethal finishers, but also maturing into a formidable defender, especially under the high ball.
“I remember four years ago when Hoggy was first picked,” Seymour said. “We were all in the changing room watching it, and I had yet to get my first cap. And I was hopeful that Sean Maitland would be picked, as he rightly was, so that there would be a wing spot for the [Scotland] tour, and there was. And I ended up getting my first cap. It’s amazing to look back on that journey now.”
Although he had been widely tipped as the second-most likely Scot after Hogg to be selected, Seymour did not take anything for granted. In fact, rather than sit and watch the live broadcast of the squad announcement, he was out having lunch with Warriors team-mate Richie Vernon in a Glasgow cafe.
Asked if he had expected the honour, he replied: “The honest and truthful answer is no. It really wasn’t something I was expecting. It wasn’t even a deliberate ‘it’s dead-in-thewater’ kind of thing where I thought I’m not paying attention to it because I know I’m not in it, an anger thing or anything. It was just I’d arranged a lunch with Richie to catch up. But it was a nice way to get it broken.
“It was something different, but as special as I could ever imagine it would have been. And it’s a memory that will probably live long because of the way it happened.
“I think very few people can ever expect to be in a Lions squad, such is the nature of the competition, the pedigree of it and how much it means, so I’d be very foolish to sit here and say I thought I was among those three or four individuals who were expecting to be part of the tour.”
Of course, while Seymour and Hogg were ecstatic to be chosen, there was also widespread dismay at the fact that only two Scots made the cut. While Maitland was always thought to be under consideration, there was a late upsurge in support for Edinburgh flanker Hamish Watson, whose steady improvement has been all the more remarkable given the slump in morale his team has suffered.
The omission of those two, plus others such as 2013 tourist Richie Gray, his brother Jonny, and Finn Russell, has provoked some disenchantment among Scotland fans. Unsurprisingly, however, Seymour declined to criticise Gatland’s selection, which also included 16 English players, 12 from Wales and 11 Irishmen.
“I, rightly, will never be in a position of selecting a squad for something of this magnitude and I wouldn’t dare put myself in the head space of someone that would. As a Scotland team we had a great Six Nations in my opinion and a lot of guys put their hands up for selection – as did a lot of guys from other countries.
“It’s incredibly difficult to pick a squad like this, and of course, because I’m so close and have so many friends dotted around the Scotland squad you’d want to travel with more guys. But it’s never going to be something I’ll get a personal hump about, because I can’t do anything about it.”
Seymour is four years Hogg’s senior, but he will become his apprentice on tour for the first few days at least as the full-back, having also been chosen in 2013, knows the ropes already.
“It’s Hoggy’s second tour, and that’s a real testament when you think about his age. To be going on his second Lions tour, that is phenomenal, and he probably needs an extra second to pinch himself about what he has achieved.
“We’re talking about me looking back on my journey and saying it’s special, but his is phenomenal. He rightly deserves all the plaudits he gets. To be a certainty, at least in the media’s eyes, and going on a Lions tour before it’s announced at 24 years of age, is remarkable. And I think if I need a moment to settle myself, he certainly does. I’ll try to help him by not asking too many ‘Whats?’”