{"id":279963,"date":"2025-07-21T12:46:18","date_gmt":"2025-07-21T12:46:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/279963\/"},"modified":"2025-07-21T12:46:18","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T12:46:18","slug":"try-telling-jamie-george-this-lions-tour-match-is-a-glorified-fundraiser","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/279963\/","title":{"rendered":"Try telling Jamie George this Lions tour match is a glorified fundraiser"},"content":{"rendered":"

It is very easy to look at the Tuesday midweek match in Melbourne with a cynical eye. <\/p>\n

The First Nations & Pasifika XV game at Marvel Stadium looks something of an inconvenience for the Lions, who have called up five cannon-fodder players to protect the Test team.<\/p>\n

The Ireland tight-head Thomas Clarkson, who does not make a fully-fit Leinster squad, is joined by Scottish players Ewan Ashman, Rory Sutherland, Gregor Brown and Darcy Graham, who were perhaps not the next best options available, but the closest, arriving from their national team\u2019s tour of New Zealand.<\/p>\n

The Times\u2019s Chief Sports Writer, Owen Slot, labelled this match a \u201cglorified fundraiser\u201d<\/a> to satisfy broadcasters and sponsors and sell more tickets. It was cobbled together late, after the Melbourne Rebels went bust last year.<\/p>\n

\"Jamie<\/p>\n

On his third tour, George wants to use the midweek game to prove he is worthy of a Test place<\/p>\n

TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER MARC ASPLAND<\/p>\n

Yet then you sit down with Jamie George, just about over his jetlag having taken 47 hours to get here via San Juan, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro and Dubai while watching chick-flicks and a whole series of crime drama MobLand, and you suddenly feel better about the whole exercise. Floored by his initial omission from the squad in May, George says he would have swum to Australia to play one more time for the Lions. <\/p>\n

Now on his third tour, George has afforded his 74-year-old father, Ian, another trip (which has been stressful, as his initial flight from Heathrow was cancelled on Saturday). As Ian\u2019s wife, Jane, George\u2019s mother, died of cancer last year, it gives his appearance at this fixture even more meaning. Jane loved the Lions and her trip with Ian to watch George in New Zealand on his first Lions tour in 2017. George says his best rugby memories have come in the red shirt, so he intends to make the most of all this.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be able to represent the Lions again is stuff that dreams are made of,\u201d George, 34, says before his start at hooker. \u201cI\u2019m blown away, find it very surreal and am taken aback. This will be one of the biggest games of my career. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s emotional to be out here because I never thought this opportunity was going to come. When the squad was announced I was heartbroken and now I\u2019ve got the opportunity to pull the jersey on again \u2014 and it might be the last time, it might not be. <\/p>\n

\"Jamie<\/p>\n

George with his parents during the 2017 tour to New Zealand<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll play like it\u2019s the last time. I want to make people proud, I want to do the jersey proud and do everything I possibly can to win in a Lions [Test] jersey because I think international selection is one thing but winning as a Lion is different, so that\u2019s what I\u2019m here to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously it\u2019s sad that my mum is not going to be able to be here but being able to do stuff like this for people like my old man, giving him the opportunity to travel around Australia, to watch his son play for the Lions. That\u2019s the special bit about what I do and it\u2019s my biggest motivation.\u201d<\/p>\n

George knows that to push a Test case he has to fit into Andy Farrell\u2019s Lions system seamlessly. He is self-aware enough to realise he is near the back of the queue and calls Test starter Dan Sheehan \u201cthe best hooker on the planet, if not one of the best rugby players\u201d, but it does not mean he is not going to give it everything on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

He could not believe the physical level the Lions reached in the first Test win against Australia in Brisbane on Saturday. \u201cI didn\u2019t see a world where Australia looked like winning the game,\u201d he says, having watched from the stands. \u201cTom Curry was on jet fuel. It was crazy.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"RUGBYU-ARG-ENG\"<\/p>\n

George, right, came straight from England\u2019s successful summer tour to Argentina<\/p>\n

ALEJANDRO PAGNI\/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n

He is incredibly excited about the second Test, having been privy to the conversations the Lions are having internally. \u201cI have been on two tours before and I have never won a series. All we care about is making sure that we do that,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe potential of the team is huge. That\u2019s regardless of who\u2019s put in front of them but I\u2019m also expecting a much better Australia team. I think they would\u2019ve been disappointed with the way they played. There\u2019s talk of them bringing in some pretty big hitters. Is Test two going to go nuclear? I\u2019d imagine so from both sides.\u201d<\/p>\n

An avid cricket fan, George is childishly excited about going to the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday, perhaps even as part of the Test team. He says that if he was not playing for Saracens this Christmas he would be with the Barmy Army gorging on the Ashes series in Australia.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne hundred per cent, I\u2019d be in the mix, shirt off, I\u2019d have anywhere between 15 and 20 pints, a tattoo of Joe Root on one arm, Ben Stokes on the other,\u201d George says, laughing. <\/p>\n

\"Cricket<\/p>\n

Birds of a feather: George sees himself as a Swann figure and is mulling a repeat of the \u201csprinker\u201d dance<\/p>\n

GARETH COPLEY\/PA WIRE<\/p>\n

\u201cHow good is it going to be? [With] 100,000 people at the MCG. I thought the atmosphere was good at the weekend but from experience it just goes like that [upwards] in the second Test, third Test.\u201d<\/p>\n

George remembers watching Graeme Swann lead the England team in doing the \u201csprinkler\u201d dance after beating Australia to go 2-1 up in the 2010-11 fourth Ashes Test at the MCG, a result that retained the urn. If things go the Lions\u2019 way on Saturday, will George channel Swann?<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat a great shout that,\u201d he says, a twinkle in his eye. \u201cI see myself as a sort of Graeme Swann figure. Similar characters, both talented blokes. It could happen\u2026 who knows? I am as motivated as I have ever been.\u201d<\/p>\n

First Nations and Pasifika XVAndy Muirhead; Triston Reilly, Lalakai Foketi, David Feliuai, Filipo Daugunu; Kurtley Beale (c), Kalani Thomas; Lington Ieli, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Taniela Tupou, Darcy Swain, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Seru Uru, Charlie Gamble, Tuaina Taii TualimaReplacements<\/b> Richie Asiata, Marley Pearce, Mesake Doge, Mesake Vocevoce, Rob Leota, Harrison Goddard, Jack Debreczeni, Jarrah McLeodFirst Nations & Pasifika XV v The British & Irish Lions<\/p>\n

Marvel Stadium, Melbourne
Tuesday 22nd July, 2025
Kick-off: 11am<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It is very easy to look at the Tuesday midweek match in Melbourne with a cynical eye. The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":279964,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4102],"tags":[4151,79,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-279963","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-rugby","8":"tag-rugby","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114891298411641032","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/279963","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=279963"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/279963\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/279964"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=279963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=279963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=279963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}