JUST AS JACK Conan starts to speak to the media outside the library at the pristine Churchie school in Brisbane, the bell goes and kids start flocking around.
They’re curious about the cameras, but they’re also keen to see who is being interviewed.
Some of them might not all realise it, but they’re looking at the man who is set to be the Lions’ number eight when they take on the Wallabies in Saturday’s first Test. If that is the case, Conan will be resuming the role he had in South Africa four years ago.
The Leinster man finished the season powerfully, captaining his province to the URC title, and he has kept that roll of form up in his three appearances on this Lions tour. His tackling has been excellent, his carrying has been powerful, and Conan has worked hard.
Ben Earl has also done well at number eight, but Conan seems the most natural fit in that jersey.
“I think I’ve went well enough,” says Conan when asked how he feels it has gone.
“Obviously, I’ve had a few mistakes, there’s always going to be a few teething issues with new systems, getting used to lads and how they play, different structures. Yeah, I’m happy enough. One or two mistakes, but that’s life.”
Conan has never seemed like the kind of person who dwells on errors for too long. He takes his craft seriously but he comes across as the kind of person who isn’t unhealthily obsessed.
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Conan at Lions training. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
It helps that he has the distraction of being a family man. His wife, Ali, just arrived in Australia with their one-year-old daughter, Remi, and they’re trying to figure out how to cure a baby of jetlag.
It also helps Conan that the Lions environment feels so familiar, given all the Irish influence under Andy Farrell.
“I don’t think things are massively different with how we do them in Ireland, with attacking style and structure and things like that,” he says.
“Obviously, there’s some different names and different bits but there is definitely a level of comfort in knowing the way we want to play. It’s second nature to a lot of the Irish lads because it’s what we do day in and day out in camp.
“But then you have different coaches, JD [John Dalziel] and Wig [Richard Wigglesworth], who do things a little bit differently than maybe we would do in Ireland, so there’s always learning and there’s always upskilling.
“Ireland is one step and the Lions is then another step above, so you’re always being challenged by the coaches to be better.”
Conan is also familiar with the man in charge on the opposite side.
Joe Schmidt gave him his Ireland debut in 2015 and Conan has huge respect for the Kiwi coach.
“I think he’s had success no matter where he’s gone, whether it be with Leinster, with us and the All Blacks and now Australia.
Conan is favourite to start at number eight. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
“Being coached by Joe for a number of years, we kind of know how he likes to do things, the emphasis he puts on certain areas of the game.
“But they’ve a great coaching outfit and look it’s not going to be an easy game at all, Test match rugby never is, so we’re going to have to be at our best.”
The Lions have been pitched as major favourites for this series, but Conan believes the tourists are in for a huge challenge from the Wallabies.
“The media might give them a bit of a hard time, but we know they are an unbelievably good side with incredible athletes across the park,” he says.
“We had a really tough day in November against them. I wasn’t playing then but myself and ‘Dinny’ [Dave Kilcoyne] were down watching that day, Faz had brought us in, so it was great to back in the mix for that one day.
“But look, they are an unbelievable side with unbelievable athletes so it’s not going to be easy, it never is and how motivated are they going to be for this?
“The first Test match in 12 years on home soil against the Lions. We will have to make sure their motivation isn’t harder than ours.”
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Familiar faces for Conan on both sides of Lions v Wallabies contest
JUST AS JACK Conan starts to speak to the media outside the library at the pristine Churchie school in Brisbane, the bell goes and kids start flocking around.
They’re curious about the cameras, but they’re also keen to see who is being interviewed.
Some of them might not all realise it, but they’re looking at the man who is set to be the Lions’ number eight when they take on the Wallabies in Saturday’s first Test. If that is the case, Conan will be resuming the role he had in South Africa four years ago.
The Leinster man finished the season powerfully, captaining his province to the URC title, and he has kept that roll of form up in his three appearances on this Lions tour. His tackling has been excellent, his carrying has been powerful, and Conan has worked hard.
Ben Earl has also done well at number eight, but Conan seems the most natural fit in that jersey.
“I think I’ve went well enough,” says Conan when asked how he feels it has gone.
“Obviously, I’ve had a few mistakes, there’s always going to be a few teething issues with new systems, getting used to lads and how they play, different structures. Yeah, I’m happy enough. One or two mistakes, but that’s life.”
Conan has never seemed like the kind of person who dwells on errors for too long. He takes his craft seriously but he comes across as the kind of person who isn’t unhealthily obsessed.
It helps that he has the distraction of being a family man. His wife, Ali, just arrived in Australia with their one-year-old daughter, Remi, and they’re trying to figure out how to cure a baby of jetlag.
It also helps Conan that the Lions environment feels so familiar, given all the Irish influence under Andy Farrell.
“I don’t think things are massively different with how we do them in Ireland, with attacking style and structure and things like that,” he says.
“Obviously, there’s some different names and different bits but there is definitely a level of comfort in knowing the way we want to play. It’s second nature to a lot of the Irish lads because it’s what we do day in and day out in camp.
“But then you have different coaches, JD [John Dalziel] and Wig [Richard Wigglesworth], who do things a little bit differently than maybe we would do in Ireland, so there’s always learning and there’s always upskilling.
“Ireland is one step and the Lions is then another step above, so you’re always being challenged by the coaches to be better.”
Conan is also familiar with the man in charge on the opposite side.
Joe Schmidt gave him his Ireland debut in 2015 and Conan has huge respect for the Kiwi coach.
“I think he’s had success no matter where he’s gone, whether it be with Leinster, with us and the All Blacks and now Australia.
“Being coached by Joe for a number of years, we kind of know how he likes to do things, the emphasis he puts on certain areas of the game.
“But they’ve a great coaching outfit and look it’s not going to be an easy game at all, Test match rugby never is, so we’re going to have to be at our best.”
The Lions have been pitched as major favourites for this series, but Conan believes the tourists are in for a huge challenge from the Wallabies.
“The media might give them a bit of a hard time, but we know they are an unbelievably good side with incredible athletes across the park,” he says.
“We had a really tough day in November against them. I wasn’t playing then but myself and ‘Dinny’ [Dave Kilcoyne] were down watching that day, Faz had brought us in, so it was great to back in the mix for that one day.
“But look, they are an unbelievable side with unbelievable athletes so it’s not going to be easy, it never is and how motivated are they going to be for this?
“The first Test match in 12 years on home soil against the Lions. We will have to make sure their motivation isn’t harder than ours.”
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Brisbane Jack Conan Lions Lions 2025 number eight Rugby