Irish hooker Keith Wood passed a personal milestone when the Lions beat Australia last Saturday. It was the first time the 29-year-old Harlequins hooker tasted victory over the Wallabies after being on the losing side in all six previous outings since making his international debut for Ireland in Brisbane in 1994.
The Ireland captain was in the thick of the action as the Lions ripped apart John Eales' men, stamping his trademark game on the home side with several crunching tackles and clever kicking. However, speaking to www.rugby.com.au, Wood admits he is finding the going tough Down Under and is having difficulty adjusting to the evening kick-offs.
Prior to last week's win in Brisbane he claims he found it impossible to sleep and ended up walking on the beach in the early hours of the morning to occupy his mind. He admitted: "These late night kick-offs are a total pain and I can't sleep after them at all. At 5.00am I was wandering around the hotel, then I went on the computer and eventually I went for a walk on the beach. I sat down waiting for the sun to come up and a drunken Irishman wandered by. He hadn't been to bed and he was very entertaining, so we had a giggle and watched the sun come up together."
While several members of the squad have questioned the intensive training and match schedule set out by Graham Henry and his staff, Wood is wise enough to put the experience into perspective. While he admits the tour does not make for a fun experience, in the socialising sense, the success of the Lions has been a big lift for him. He added: "No, there's not much fun in a pint-drinking sense, it's much more serious than that. We're happy when we're playing rugby, happy when we're winning. At this stage of our lives, that's what we're about."
Filed by Shane Murray
