Well the British and Irish Lions had a spectacular bounce back from their first two losses. The third game was again played at altitude in Johannesburg – more than a mile above sea level. But the Lions were adjusted to the climate, and from start to finish they were in complete control. With sustained pressure it was only a matter of time before they scored.
The first try came from an excellent break by Jamie Heaslip, who then offloaded to the flying winger Shane Williams. And Williams was again on the score sheet after a remarkable piece of ball-handling skill from Riki Flutey.
With Stephen Jones pulling the strings at fly-half, the Lions never looked as if they would lose this game. The final score was sealed when Ugo Monye intercepted a pass in his own 22 to run the length of the pitch to finish the game off.
It was a vital win for the British and Irish Lions’ future. From an Irish perspective it was a very worthwhile trip, with most players making their mark – in particular the young Rob Kearney, who looked world-class at fullback.
Also, a number of my friends have returned from their trip to follow the Lions and they couldn’t say enough good things about South Africa and its people. It is definitely a place on my list to visit.
Training so far this summer is going well, and each week we are increasing what we are lifting in the weights area. We are doing a lot of Olympic lifting in order to improve our total body power. While it is very technical doing these lifts, it is really interesting to learn how we are improving ourselves.
We are all getting so into it, we’ve each bought a pair of weightlifting shoes! I’d imagine everyone else in the gym was laughing at us last week when we all rocked in wearing the same shoes, all sparkling white.
Our coach has even entered us in a lifting competition. At first we thought he was joking, but now that we know he was deadly serious, we’re going to use it as a training opportunity.
This is the one time in life I wish I was a few inches smaller, as it seems so much easier for the shorter girls – they don’t need to pull the bar as high or drop as low underneath it. Orla Brennan and I look so awkward doing the lifts, whereas Sinead and Shannon make it look so easy.
In other training news, my knee is slowly but surely improving but I still have problems when running and when I turn quickly. We did a killer fitness session on Friday last, but I could only do half of it. Only time will tell, I suppose.
Next Saturday sees the first fitness test of the season. They are never nice, no matter how fit you are, as you have to push yourself to your limit.
We will be measured for height and weight, then skin folds, to get our fat percentages – never a nice thought for a prop! We will also be functionally screened to make sure that there are no glaringly obvious problems with our bodies and how we move.
Then the real fun starts! We will be speed tested from 0–30 metres, which is done with speed gates, then we do the 150m shuttle run test. Basically, cones will be set out at five, 10, 15, 20 and 25 metres, and you have to run shuttles out and back, working for 30 seconds and then resting for 30 seconds – and it has to be done six times.
It mightn’t sound too bad from that description, but trust me, by the end of it there’s a horrible taste of iron at the back of your throat and your legs feel like jelly.
Oh, I can’t wait to get back on the pitch and just play some rugby!
Fiona Coghlan is an Irish International rugby player. Her column appears every fortnight in Metro Éireann
