‘What’s the story?’, I asked him
‘The story is, you nearly killed him’.
Paul O’Connell’s threw a training ground punch for the last time in 2007 when, in the build-up to the World Cup, he sparked out Ireland teammate Ryan Caldwell after some rough treatment at the breakdown.
Caldwell swallowed his tongue, was rushed to hospital and kept in overnight. An ashamed O’Connell learned to keep his emotions in check or, at the very least, save his thunder for the opposition.
Rugby players will tell you that there’s nothing wrong with a bit of bite to a training session, especially when a big game is coming up. Lads tear into each other and test their mettle because they know the bigger challenges await at the weekend and they need to be ready.
It’s why few Kiwis will be too perturbed to learn several of the All Blacks have been clattering the heads off each other in training this week. Having lost at home for the first time in eight years, last weekend, to let the Lions right back into the Test Series, the world champions are bulling.
Former All Blacks captain Sean Fitzpatrick, as you’d expect, has some good sources close to the host’s camp. He has learned of some pretty feisty training sessions of late. Fitzpatrick told Sky Sports:
“I’ve spoken to one of the selectors earlier in the week and he said there’s been a couple of little punch ups at training, he likes that sort of thing.
“So the intensity’s huge and it’s a massive game. This Saturday, it’s just going to go to another level.”
As for the Lions, training has been spicy but not at the same level. Lions head coach Warren Gatland revealed:
“We had a tasty session today. There were some verbals thrown. It was a bit testy.
“Obviously, everyone is pretty aware of how big the game is but you what to have emotional control. Take it to the edge but no further than that.”
To box a teammate or not to simply tear strips off him?
We’ll see what method worked best come Saturday at Eden Park.
