The hard work has been put in. The gym slog is over. All that remains is a light run-out at Eden Park.
New Zealand await at Eden Park and Sean O’Brien awaits New Zealand.
The last time they lost a Test match at the Auckland, Wet Wet Wet were top of the singles charts with ‘Love is All Around’ and top level rugby was still an amateur sport.
On Thursday morning [local time], British & Irish Lions head coach Warren Gatland announced his matchday squad to take on the All Blacks. There were four Irish players in the starting XV, including captain Peter O’Mahony, and two more named on the bench.
Four Irish players on Lions starting team to face All Blacks https://t.co/maRuCWDY5d
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) June 21, 2017
The last full training session took place at the QBE Stadium, with O’Mahony proving a nuisance at the breakdown [again] and Jonathan Joseph crash landing after a coming together with hard-tackling teammates Tadhg Furlong and Jack McGrath.
Following the on-field work, the Lions headed back and hit the gym on the Auckland University campus.
Tour captain Sam Warburton may be on the bench this Saturday evening but he wasn’t letting up for one second.
O’Mahony was working on his CMJ, leg-strengthening and box jumps – all good prep for the lineout battles ahead:
Loose-head prop Mako Vunipola continued to breeze through this tour.
But no-one was putting it in more than openside flanker Sean O’Brien.
The Irish back-row will have the tasks of producing turnovers in defence, slowing down New Zealand ball and providing a ball-carrying threat in attack. He’s certainly putting the graft in:
This one is great for neck strength and definitely helps at scrum time.
The hours are flying by now. It’s almost time.
*All photos courtesy of INPHO
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