Business as usual for Dan as he plays waiting game on tour place

AS Warren Gatland announces his Lions squad today, it will be business as usual for Dan Biggar.

He will be out on the training pitch preparing for Northampton Saints’ big Gallagher Premiership clash with Louis Rees-Zammit’s Gloucester.

The Wales fly-half admits he will be “gutted” if he misses out on selection for the eight-match tour of South Africa.

But he won’t be listening to the announcement live, as he has the day job to attend to.

“It’s about 12.30pm and that’s normally our main session of the week on a Thursday,” he told the Rugby Pod.

“So I would imagine we will be training, which in a way is quite nice because I am not really one who likes a lot of fuss made.

“If I am named, it will be nice to go under the radar.

“And if I’m not named, I can shoot in the car after training and not speak to anyone!

“It will be business as usual for me and I can find out one way or another after training.

“I think it adds a real bit of history and it’s just a bit different that you only find out on the actual announcement, whether it’s good news or bad news.

“That’s quite special really.” He added: “I am really not nervous actually.

“I would be gutted named.

“But also it wouldn’t really affect my day-to-day life.

“It’s a long time away from home as well, so I would get to spend more time with my family.

“While I would be gutted, I wouldn’t look at it as being the end of the world.”

It would be a major surprise if Six Nations title winner Biggar wasn’t selected, as he’s many people’s tip to be the Test 10, let alone make the trip.

“If I’m honest, six months ago I maybe wouldn’t have been in the forefront of selection discussions,” said the 31-year-old.

“So I’m quite pleased and proud if I wasn’t that I’ve managed to get myself back into discussions.

“You know yourself if you are playing well or not. You don’t need reporters or whatever to tell you.

“I know I have put together a decent bit of form and managed to get myself back into discussions for the tour, as opposed to maybe six months ago you know you are probably a little bit off and may not get to it this time around.”

Being out on the training pitch when the squad is announced will be a carbon copy of the situation back in 2017 when he was named in the squad for that summer’s tour of New Zealand.

“Four years ago, I thought I was in with a shout, but I was nowhere near guaranteed,” he said.

“I remember we trained for the Ospreys and a lot of the boys watched it together.

“But I stayed on the field deliberately and did a little bit more kicking, just because I didn’t want to see the announcement and feel, not a failure, but gutted.

“If you get disappointment or sad news, you tend to just want to be on your own, close the curtains and shut yourself away.

“It would have been difficult around so many boys who would have been named as well.”

As it turned out, Biggar was included in Gatland’s 41-man squad.

“I went home and all my mates came up to my house and we had a beer at like 3 o’clock in the afternoon,” he reveals.

“That is kind of different in itself. I