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Ben Kay has simple advice for the British and Irish Lions; go out and make the most of the tour to Australia.
Kay attended the Lions squad announcement in London when Andy Farrell read out the 38-man squad.
The former Leicester Tigers second row played two tests against New Zealand in 2005. It was a tour made famous by the fleet of camper vans fans used to tour the country.
“The biggest thing is feeding off the fans who go, because there is nothing else like it,” Kay told All Things Rugby. “You don’t want to be locking yourself away in your hotel room worrying about rugby. It is brilliant all the things you do on the side.
TWELVE YEAR WAIT
“There might be times when you don’t feel like doing it and you’re knackered after training, but it is part and parcel of the history.”
Farrell also unveiled Maro Itoje as tour captain. He is the first Englishman to lead the party since Kay’s Tigers’ teammate Martin Johnson did so in 1997 and 2001.
Kay has seen firsthand how Itoje has gone from youngest tour member in 2017 to the man who will lead them into tests in Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney.
“The Lions captain is different to anything else,” Kay said. “It is part captain, part politician. “You get dragged all over the place and there are so many more responsibilities.
“You need to be at every single Ambassadors Residence meeting, and then you’re at a school. He’s the sort of person who can do that.”
LAND DOWN UNDER
While Kay was part of a Lions tour that lost the series three-nil, he has happy memories of playing in Australia.
He was a key part of the England team that won the 2003 World Cup with a 20-17 win over Australia in the final in Sydney.
The Wallabies have struggled in recent World Cups. They lost to England in the 2019 quarterfinals 2019 and then failed to progress from their group in 2023.
However, victories over England and Wales in the autumn showed that they are on an upward curve, as they build towards hosting the World Cup in 2027.
“We need a strong Australia in the world game,” Kay said. “Part of that is the financial opportunity from a Lions trip and what that can do for Rugby Australia, but it is also about getting the Australian public falling back in love with the sport.”