From URC Champions to Lions Camp: Jack Conan recalls his whirlwind week as Lions arrive in Australia

British & Irish Lions back row Jack Conan didn’t have long to soak in Leinster’s United Rugby Championship title win, before the Irishman had to shift gears entirely for the tour of Australia.

Conan was one of the 12 Leinster players that promptly swapped their provincial blue for the red of the Lions, with the league title celebrations rather short-lived in the Irish captial. On Saturday 14th June, Leinster bested the Bulls in own back yard of Croke Park, as the Dubliners won their first league title of the URC era.

However, just two days later, Conan and his 11 Leinster teammates would arrive at the Lions camp, in what was a swift change of pace for the URC champions. With one eye on the celebrations and the other on Australia, a major chunk of the Leinster squad were unsure on how to mark the occassion.

“It was a bit weird in the changing room after, like we didn’t know how to win." Conan said." Lads were a bit awkward or something like that, but it was good craic. We went to the RDS [Arena] for a bit which was good, and then just pottered into town, and everyone did their own thing.”

As for the now-famous champagne goggles - Conan won't be bringing his champions eye-wear on tour with him down to Australia. The goggles are expected to be in either a changing room, pub or train, as it was quite the quick turn-around from celebrations to preparations.

“I think it was the URC who organised them, I wanted to keep mine, they looked expensive enough. They got left somewhere.”

Monday came quickly. The Lions were calling, and Conan didn’t have the time to nurse a sore head. Thankfully, the back row woke with a spring in his step having tactfully ended the night earlier,as he needed to make a good first impression as the Lions set up a training camp in Dublin.

“We had a great few days, it was nice, a few pints on Sunday as well early doors which was good. It was enjoyable celebrations.”

“I actually wasn't [hungover] I felt fresh enough on Monday morning. I had to go down to Bray at 7 o'clock in the morning to get the dog. I was home early, so I was being wise and had to go collect the dog.”

Conan compared the arrival at the Lions camp to his first days of school, as he had to swot up on the new Lions playbook following his first few days playing catch-up in camp. Conan, along with his Leinster teammates, Bath's Finn Russell and Will Stuart and Ollie Chessum of Leicester, were the late arrivals to the camp having spent significant time away with their respective finals.

Scotland fullback Blair Kinghorn is yet to join the fray, even with the team now landed in Australia. Kinghorn is preparing for the Top 14 final with Toulouse, as the French crown will be decided this Saturday, against Champions Cup winners Bordeaux-Begles.

“The afterglow went pretty quickly on Monday morning when you had to pack up for the next eight weeks of your life, and get organised and do everything else and get into camp." Conan explained. "The anxiety was pretty high, like first day of school going in. The lads had the time together, so you feel you're behind the 8-ball a bit, so you're on catch-up.”

“Monday was good, we didn't have much [to do], we just came in and met everyone and got our gear, and had to get up to speed with the plays and calls. That was a bit of a challenge.”

“We had a proper run out here on Tuesday which was soul-searching stuff, we had to run out the demons. It's been great. It was enjoyable. You'd love to be playing, but it is what it is. Everyone has been training away for the last week without us, so hopefully get a run out soon.”

Conan is adamant Leinster’s season shouldn’t be painted as a disappointment, despite the pain of falling short in the Champions Cup semi-final against Northampton. The Dubliners were heavy favourites to win their first European title since 2018, yet succumbed to a semi-final exit to the Saints. Conan has brushed that all to the side, with a URC title providing that winning feeling for his teammates.

“I think any season where you win something can never be deemed a failure. Obviously we want to go well in both competitions, and I think if it hadn't been for the performance against Northampton, even if we had lost that game, but we performed really well, I don't think people would have said much about it.”

“They're a quality side, but I think it was just the way we didn't show up that day, and had a bit of a hangover for a few weeks.”

“Maybe we don't get the result over the last two weeks, if it wasn't for that game. Maybe it was the bit of a kick that we needed.”

“The problem is when you win most of the time, it papers over cracks a little bit, so we had to have a good hard look at ourselves and it was tough for a lot of lads, for everyone in the building. You get to win a trophy at Croke Park with all your mates, at the end of the day, I would have taken that.”

“I definitely wouldn't say it was a failure, but there's definitely some more in this club and more in the lads, so hopefully there'll be a few years still ahead of us.”

As for any words exchanged with Saints players now reunited in Lions camp, Conan is yet to address the elephant in the room with the boys from Franklin's Gardens. However, as 12 of the Leinster players go out on tour with Tommy Freeman, Alex Mitchell, Fin Smith and Henry Pollock, Conan expects some sledging could take place, once the tour festivities kick into gear.

“No, no... It's long in the memory at this stage. Nothing. I'm sure they were happy enough to get the win over us but nothing has been said. Maybe after a few pints it might come up, but at the moment it's all pleasantries and all that.”

Now, attention turned fully to the Lions, Conan is already building new relationships across the nations. However, the Irishman has struggled to understand his Celtic cousin in the back row, with a slight language barrier between Conan and his roommate from South Wales.

“I've been rooming with Jac Morgan. Great fella, nice bloke, so getting to know him. I need subtitles half the time, it's a strong Welsh accent. He's a really good fella and he has trained really well the last few days, so I'm looking forward to seeing him go well tonight.”

“Other than that, you're just mixing. We've had a lot of time off. You're done training around 1 or 2 in the day so you're going for coffee and lunch. We've been looked after in town. We've a sauna so you can go there as a group, mix with lads, and get to know them.”

“You know what, it's actually nice that you're in Dublin and able to pick up with a few mates and stuff like that. It doesn't feel like you're away yet. We're gone Saturday morning early doors, so it kind of feels like we're at home. We're not missing home at the moment. We're staying in the Shelbourne where we stay the whole time, it's class.”

Four years on from a COVID-era Lions tour in 2021, and things feel very different. Whilst Conan relished the opportunity to become a British & Irish Lion upon the trip across South Africa, the empty stadiums and social distance regulations hindered his time out in the land of the Springboks.

“Yeah. Four years ago was still great, I loved it and had a great experience. In a way, you get to know the lads in such a different way because it was eight weeks of kind of solitary confinement. You have to mix. You still have to mix now but you're getting out and about in smaller groups whereas four years ago, everyone was just kind of sitting around.”

“I'm excited to see a full stadium. The only taste we got of that was four years ago against Japan in Edinburgh and there was around 16,000 there with spaced seating, so definitely a bit different.

"I can't wait to get over there, everyone says it's just a different fanfare, a different level of excitement when you get properly on tour."