DAN BIGGAR IT HURTS, BUT I DID MY MUM PROUD
I FEEL pretty emotional after that. That was my last tour, and it hurts as you know you won’t get another chance.
These opportunities don’t come around often, and we’re so disappointed to have gone 1-0 up and lost. The changing room was very quiet.
You couldn’t write it, could you? Morne Steyn kicking the goal to win it again. The boys joked that he’ll kick the winner when he’s 49!
Alun Wyn Jones spoke really well and told the guys on the next tour to go and smash it. I will be watching on the TV come 2025, so I’m heartbroken we didn’t finish it off.
Irrespective of the result, for me to become a Test Lion and start all three games is pretty special. It’s obviously better if you win it, mind. I’ll look back on it with pride. This was a big career goal of mine and now I want to kick on to win 100 Wales caps and win some trophies with Northampton.
Warren Gatland told us to be p **** d off and disappointed for a couple of hours, but get together, pick each other up and have a beer. This group is never going to be together again, so we have got to rally round each other.
My last Lions experience only lasted 11 minutes, as I took a hefty whack to the shin when colliding with Damian De Allende. I couldn’t put much weight through my leg so had to go off, which was hugely disappointing.
Finn Russell came on and did really well. It wasn’t the most freeflowing spectacle but we were in control, up again at half-time and probably should have been ahead by more. We were up 10-6 and it could easily have been 17-6.
The coaches challenged us in our pre-match meetings. They told us we were soft. That laid down a challenge. Physicality became a big theme because as rugby players, especially forwards, you don’t want to hear your coaches telling you that you’re a bit soft in contact.
That didn’t go down too well with Alun Wyn. By flagging that up they got a reaction. It’s a macho thing. We knew the contact area was going to be a big thing if we were going to win.
We didn’t feel too threatened but South Africa stuck to it, took their chance when it came.
We just didn’t nail a couple of key moments, like the aerial battle, and didn’t start the second half well enough. We didn’t clean up the high-ball before Cheslin Kolbe’s try, which proved vital.
We’ll probably count ourselves a bit unlucky that some calls didn’t go our way — like the scrumpenalty right on their line where Kyle Sinckler was punished.
It will live with a few of us for a while and be tough to get over, but I guess at least we have the consolation of going home to see our families.
I’ve had a lot of chats with my sister who has said mum will be very proud looking down on me. There is a tinge of sadness that she wasn’t here but I’m glad that I’ve done her proud.
This tour has probably helped me take my mind off what’s going on at home. It’s not really normal life out here. My sister has had the tougher end of it and I’m incredibly proud of her. It’s funny because she’s pretended to have a little bit of interest in what’s going on with the rugby, almost filling the role that mum had.
I’ve had a picture of my mum and my son, James, as the screensaver on my phone while I’ve been out here — a photograph from his third birthday. I can’t wait to see my family again.
We’re flying to Dublin to drop off the Irish lads, then heading on to Jersey for quarantine. My family are due to fly out but we’re looking at a last-minute switch to France. I’ve got a fair bit of daddy duty to catch up on!
I’m not sad to be going home, if I’m honest. It’s been a great eight weeks and we’ve been treated extremely well, but a few boys will be rushing to the airport to get home to their loved ones. We’ve been away from our families for a long time.
We’ve pretty much been playing for two years solid, so we need to recharge the batteries. The break will be tough after that gutwrenching loss, though.
Most of the England guys have to take 10 weeks off but I’m hoping to get back a bit sooner and be available by the end of September. I already miss a lot of the club season because of Wales commitments, so it doesn’t sit that easily with me not being available.
It could be Christmas by the time some of the guys are back playing for their clubs regularly.
Warren is straight off to New Zealand for two weeks in airport quarantine, which probably isn’t up to his usual five-star standards! It feels a bit like the end of an era because it’s unlikely we’ll get the chance to work together again. It’ll be strange seeing him off.
I’ve got a lot to be grateful for with Gats because he’s been there for the majority of my Test career. It took me a while to win him over but I owe him a huge amount. He’s man-managed me really well over the years. Sometimes he’s been hard on me but he knows that I respond to that.
I’m really grateful for everything he’s done for me. He’s got a couple of years with the Chiefs but who knows where he’ll end up after that? England are probably the only team that can afford him...
It will live with a few of us for a while and be tough to get over