IT’S STILL EARLY days, but it is already clear that this will be a British and Irish Lions tour like no other.
Warren Gatland’s squad touched down in Jersey on Sunday afternoon for a 10-day training camp ahead of the opening game of their summer schedule, which sees the Lions take on Japan in Murrayfield on Saturday week.
And in a world still learning to manage the complications of coronavirus, life on tour will look very different for the 2021 Lions.
For a start, each squad member in Jersey will have their own hotel room, the tradition of being bunked up with a roommate deemed an unnecessary risk in a bid to keep all involved safe, limiting any unnecessary contact.
Players and staff also have designated seats on the bus which shuttles them between their hotel base and the training facilities, which for now, is as much of Jersey as they’re going to see.
With the players all coming together from different environments and different countries, the early days of this training camp are all about keeping risk at an absolute minimum.
In that sense, the Lions Covid-bubble even feels different to what players will have experienced during the Six Nations.
“At the moment we’re still going through a period of isolation and testing to make sure we aren’t a risk to the island,” explains Wales hooker Ken Owens.
“We’re basically hotel bound, and between the hotel and bus up to training and back, we’re pretty restricted at the moment. We’re not allowed leave the hotel, but it is what it is. It’s as much to protect ourselves as it is to protect the wider public. Then obviously it will be exactly the same as we move on to Edinburgh and then South Africa.
“The Six Nations was slightly different. With Wales, we were at the Vale (team base) for eight weeks, which is very familiar surroundings for us, so it was almost like being at home for eight weeks with no one else at the hotel.
“So it will be different, it’s going to be pretty restricted, but we’ve got some great hotels and plenty of space where we can go mix in and around the team room and hopefully we get an opportunity, especially in the latter part of the week, to get out and see a little bit of Jersey.”
As the mercury tipped 24C, Monday’s first day on site involved a reasonably relaxed morning schedule, following by a more intense evening session, which saw Owens get some reps in alongside the other front row players in camp, including Leinster hooker Rónan Kelleher, called up to train with the group this week without being formally added to the squad.
With a chunk of Gatland’s tourists still tied up with club duties in England, Gatland has just 26 players to work with this week. Owens represents the senior hooker in Jersey, leaving him in line to feature in the opening game against Japan.
“The talent of hookers on the tour is incredible,” he explains.
“Rónan is obviously over here training and he’s a quality young hooker as well, so the competition is the norm. It happened four years ago. I think being in early just gives you that little bit of a step with learning and getting ahead of the curve, but the boys coming in (later) will get an opportunity. They’ll get up to speed pretty quick.
“It’s just good for me (to be involved this week). We’ve had some games cancelled with the Scarlets so it’s been great to finally get out here and get into the teeth of the rugby. We knew it was always going to be that some boys would join us late. It’s just great to start prepping for that Japan game, and I’m sure when the boys get over here they’ll be chomping at the bit as well.”
Last night the squad were due to carve up individual duties for the tour, designating players into different committees such as the entertainment and laundry committees. The early days of a Lions tour have often included time for some off-field bonding, but Owens says the initial indication is that leisure time will be a minimum. This time, it’s straight to work.
“There will be a lot of training done this week to make sure we’re ready to hit the ground running come Japan,” he continues.
“It will be a much higher training volume (that previous tours), I can tell you. If the rest of the week continues like our afternoon session, come Saturday when we have a couple of days off, I’m sure the last thing on the boys mind will be a couple of beers.
“It’s going to be a long, tough tour. The bubble in some ways makes things a lot easier, but it is tough as well, but we’ve got some quality people here who bring their own strengths to the table.”
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