Lions to sing their way to All Blacks success

ANTHONY WATSON wants to embrace everything about the British and Irish Lions – from playing to singing – on this summer’s New Zealand tour.

Bath and England star Watson is among more than 20 first-time Lions in a 41-man squad tasked with beating the world champion All Blacks across a three-Test series, plus seven other games that include five fixtures against Super Rugby opposition.

Only once before – 46 years ago – have the Lions returned triumphant from All Blacks territory, and Watson is determined to grasp everything about a six-week trip that many pundits believe represents mission improbable.

And for back- three speed merchant Watson, being part of the Lions takes on an added sense of achievement, given that he featured in just two England Tests this season during an injury-hit campaign.

“I missed a lot of game-time,” he said. “First and foremost, I wanted to get back playing for England. If I had not managed that, I do not think there was much chance that I would have been picked ( for the Lions).

“I was delighted to be selected for a squad that is steeped in history. It means a lot to me and my family.

“Coming from four different nations and having not met a few of the boys before, it is important to step out of your comfort zone and get to know people you might not necessarily gravitate towards.”

Watson was among 14 Lions players involved during a pre-tour training camp in Wales last week, with numbers increasing for next week’s gathering just outside Dublin before the whole squad assembles – following domestic and European play-off finals – and heads to New Zealand on May 29.

“Last Tuesday was a pretty gruelling training session – in my top five hardest I have ever done,” he added.

“That is why everyone is here, to embrace those opportunities. That is how you get to where you get. Everyone bought into the session, and you feel miles better afterwards.

“I did not know a lot (of players) here, and getting to know them is a special experience.

“It is weird, but there is a dynamic in rugby where people are different, but similar, at

Bath and Lions star Anthony Watson.

the same time. Everyone seems to get on really well, and the banter has been flying around from the first minute. It is awesome to be a part of.”

That initial experience for Watson and company has even stretched to Lions choir practice.

“We have had a couple of sessions, and we are getting there. The boys are getting to grips with the songs,” he said.

“At the start, it was not going as smoothly as we would have liked, and then everyone let inhibitions go to one side and we ended up sounding pretty decent.”

Any Lions tour, though, is remembered above all for hitting high notes on the pitch, and Test series glory in New Zealand would be off the scale.

“I have been there (New Zealand) before, so I kind of know what to expect, even if it will be hyped up to another level with the Lions,” Watson said.

“You know it is a rugby country when you turn on the television and there is an Under-18 schoolboy game on. You know it is serious when they are showing that.

“A Lions tour is big, and this is why we play rugby.

“It is the pinnacle of where you get to as an international player, and you have to embrace the challenge and play to the best of your ability when you get a shot.”