British and Irish Lions star James Lowe has fired back at criticism over ‘foreign-born players’ in the Lions squad.
Former Lions captain Willie John McBride said he was “bothered” by having members of the squad who were not born in Britain or Ireland.
Lowe is one of five squad members who have been selected in Andy Farrell’s side who were born outside of Britain or Ireland. His Irish team-mates Bundee Aki and Jamison Gibson-Park are two alongside Scotland’s Pierre Schoeman and Duhan van der Merwe.
Lowe, who was born in New Zealand, moved to Ireland when he signed for Leinster in 2017 and qualified to play for the national side through the three-year residency rule.
The 32-year-old has since played 40 times for Ireland. He was also part of the squad that won the Grand Slam in 2023.
James Lowe is forever grateful
“Everyone’s got a different story,” he said, reported by RTE Sport. “My story didn’t start in Ireland. But I can see it ending in Ireland. My two kids were born in Ireland.
“My wife and I are super happy with everything Ireland has given us, and we don’t see ourselves moving. We’ve got our residency and I don’t think you are going to get rid of us any time soon.
“When you don’t have the blood running through your veins, there is a little bit of that [criticism].
“When I was first selected for Ireland, all the people come out of the woodwork saying, ‘How is this person representing Ireland?’
“I’m sure it was the same for Sione [Tuipulotu], but the rules are there. We’ve all done our time. I am fully embedded in the culture of Ireland. Sione’s captained Scotland. You don’t have to question where his allegiance lies.
“Leinster and Ireland have given me everything. They’ve made me a lot better as a rugby player, they’ve looked after me physically and they’ve given me time off to get back to New Zealand when I need it.
“It’s something I’ll forever be grateful for. The boys still slag me for my accent, but we are so well connected in so many ways.”
Emotional rollercoaster for British and Irish Lions call-up
Leinster’s Gibson-Park recalled the moment he received his call-up from Farrell, claiming it was a mixture of emotions.
The scrum-half was selected just days after his team-mate Caelan Doris was forced to miss out on the tour due to shoulder surgery.
“It was bizarre, to tell you the truth, it was an emotional rollercoaster,” he said.
“There’s plenty going on, Caelan probably being the biggest one. It was unbelievably tough on him.
“He’s been such a great player for club and country. He’s had an unbelievable run with injuries and it’s just the cruelty of the game sometimes.
“We were sickened for him, but in the same breath, there’s something there to celebrate. It was a pretty strange week.”
Categories
- Athletics (5)
- Aussie Rules (1)
- Basketball (12)
- Camogie (3)
- College American football (1)
- Combat (185)
- Cricket (17)
- Cycling (4)
- Darts (36)
- Editors-picks (13)
- Football (1210)
- Formula-1 (14)
- GAA (308)
- Golf (162)
- Hockey (1)
- Horse Racing (172)
- interviews (3)
- LGFA (3)
- MLB Baseball (2)
- NFL (23)
- ROI Radar (1)
- Rowing (1)
- Rugby (188)
- Snooker (6)
- Swimming (3)
- Tennis (17)
- Uncategorized (17)
- WWE (1)
