Being part of the ‘Geography Six’ has left Dacey dreaming of another Lions trip
Kristian Dacey says his Lions experience as one of the controversial “Geography Six” has made him determined to make the next tour in four years’ time.
The Cardiff Blues hooker was one of four Welshman – along with Cory Hill, Gareth Davies and Tomas Francis –called up by Warren Gatland midway through this summer’s tour of New Zealand.
That quartet, plus the Scottish duo of Allan Dell and Finn Russell, were drafted on board to bolster numbers in midweek, enabling the Test squad to focus fully on preparing to face the All Blacks.
It was a move which provoked a major outcry, with Gatland accused of selecting players based on locality rather than quality and ignoring more-deserving candidates.
That criticism, in turn, led to the Kiwi head coach deciding not to use any of the six, other than in the case of an injury.
As a result, none of the Welshmen got on the field during the two games – against the Chiefs and the Hurricanes – when they were among the replacements.
They also had to deal with some unkind and belittling comments on social media about their playing abilities and status in the game.
Nevertheless, Dacey has no regrets about answering the call and insists it has whetted his appetite for spending more time on the international stage and targeting the 2021 Lions tour of South Africa. “I look back on it happily,” he said. “You always get people who try to put you down and all that, but it just goes straight over my head to be honest.
“You are aware of it to a degree, because it’s all over the TV, especially in New Zealand. It’s such a rugbymad country that wherever you look it’s always rugby.
“So, you do hear of it, but at the end of the day, if anybody was put in that position, they would all make the same judgement of going and joining up with the Lions.
“It’s something I’ll never forget and something I’ll always look back on with fond memories.
“You are never going to turn that opportunity down and when I look back on it I think it was a massive privilege and an honour to actually get that call and be among those players.
“It was something you always dream of and luckily I got to live that dream.
“Obviously, I didn’t get on the field and that’s something I want to strive for with the next Lions tour and with Wales.
“It has definitely whetted my appetite for more.
“It all starts with the Cardiff Blues. It’s about keeping my jersey here first and foremost.
“Hopefully then I can get a few more caps and push Ken (Owens) for the No 2 shirt.”
It was that Welsh hooking berth which was very much his target going into the summer and he ended up achieving his goal by making his first start for his country against Tonga at Auckland’s Eden Park.
That was the point at which things took an unexpected turn with his Lions call-up.
“I spoke to my wife before I went and said if I get a start it would be a massive summer for me,” said the 28-year-old.
“I did that and then everything was shook up. It was strange and surreal at the time.
“After we played Tonga, we had a presentation to the new caps and Robin (McBryde) said there were four boys to go to the Lions and I was one of them.
“It was a case of coming into the squad and learning your job then. You would speak with Steve Borthwick and Graham Rowntree and try and pick up stuff from them.
“I haven’t come across anybody as obsessed about the lineout as Borthwick, to be honest.
“Everything was fine detail and for me to see that was next level, really.
“The stuff I learned out there I can hopefully bring back to the Blues and put into practice.”
Dacey sat on the bench in both Hamilton and Wellington, but that was to be as close as he got to the action.
“You had a feeling, not so much in the build-up, but during the Hurricanes game that the only way you were going to get on was through an