Tom Court - Ireland's accidental Lion

Lions tours are full of stories of players being called up last minute, dashing across the world to get an opportunity to pull on the red jersey. Former Ireland prop Tom Court has as good a story as anyone, tucking into a takeaway in his native Queensland before being summoned to Melbourne as the 2013 Lions faced a mini-propping crisis.

Given it’s 12 years on from that tour, this is as good an opportunity as any to hear from Court. As much as this is a Lions chat, though, it turns into a fascinating analysis of Irish props and scrums.

How did Court, who didn’t play rugby until the age of 23, play for Ireland A within 16 months of first touching a rugby ball?

Was this an indication of his unique athleticism, or an indictment on Ireland’s ability to develop front rows? Or a bit of both? Given he experienced the system, Court gives his take on how we as a country develop props. What needs to be done to avoid reliance on one man in a certain position (a la Tadhg Furlong) for an extended period?

How do Australia compare in their athlete development? Are we on the way to fixing the problem?

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