2 months ago
22
On the sidelines of Lions training in eastern Brisbane, Blair Kinghorn pedalled away by himself on an exercise bike.
The Scottish full-back had a night of Parisian celebrations to flush out of his legs.
Having won the Top 14 title with Toulouse on Saturday evening, he danced away in his speedos, partying until the early hours of Sunday morning.
'We got back to the hotel just before three,' he revealed.
'Then we had a party in the hotel with all the families, friends and some sponsors, which was really good. And then I was heading to the airport in Paris about midday.
'My bag was already packed. We came up to Paris for the final on Thursday, so I had to make sure all my s*** was ready before going up on Thursday.
Blair Kinghorn (left) spent Tuesday cycling out the celebrations from winning the Top 14 title
Kinghorn celebrates with his Toulouse team-mates after Saturday's triumph in France
Now the Scottish star's attention is with the Lions having arrived in Australia on Monday night
'Luckily, my mum and my wife were there to help me take everything up, because packing for two separate things is a bit stressful. I think I've got everything. All you need is your boots and your passport, so that's fine!'
A driver was waiting for Kinghorn at Brisbane Airport on Monday evening, shuttling him straight to the team hotel in the city.
Lights were out by the time he arrived, meaning he gave captain Maro Itoje a fright when he bundled into their twin room just before midnight.
'I got in about quarter to 12,' said Kinghorn.
'I was thinking, "Surely there won't be anyone in the room". I was with Maro. I go in, chuck the bags down and up he pops. I was like "Uh, sorry". He'd been sleeping and I woke him up. It was funny, he woke up, shook my hand and went straight back to sleep.'
Kinghorn's arrival will provide the Lions with a timely boost.
Elliot Daly delivered a classy, influential performance from full-back against the Western Force, although the versatile Englishman is more likely to cover a range of positions from the bench.
Kinghorn has been playing on the wing for Toulouse, although he is favourite to wear the Lions' No 15 jersey when the Tests come around, having developed into the complete player since he moved to France in 2023.
Elliot Daly's (right) Lions form in their opening two matches has put pressure on Kinghorn
Kinghorn's favourite position is full-back like at Scotland, but he plays on the wing at Toulouse
His 6ft 4in frame makes him an authoritative presence in the backfield but he must quickly get up to scratch with the playbook, ahead a likely debut against the Waratahs on Saturday.
'Internationally, I have played the majority of my rugby at full-back,' he said. 'So I'd still say that's probably my best position.
'At club level, it is different. We have positions but we don't really have positions. Everything's interchangeable. The rugby over there is not as structured so it is kind of floating around. Wingers are the same as full-back in most instances; whereas internationally it is a little a bit different.
'I tried to keep thoughts about the Lions at the back of my head, just because I wanted to stay present in the moment and finish the season really strongly with Toulouse. All the coaches understand how intense it is to be in the knockout stages of your league competition, so they all know that overloading information then is not going to help anyone.
'The next couple of days will be the big days for me to learn everything and catch up where the boys are at, but hopefully I'll catch up pretty quickly. Now I can kind of turn my full attention to this, it's really exciting.'
Back at Toulouse, Kinghorn revealed that his French club-mates Thomas Ramos and Josh Brennan had shown a particularly keen interest in the Lions concept.
Lions tours in France have been mooted as an option for future years, although a one-off fixture would be more likely, as administrators are reluctant to break with tradition.
Kinghorn likes the idea of a future Lions match versus France, labelling the idea as 'pretty cool'
A warm-up fixture against France in Paris could be a spectacular curtain-raiser and Kinghorn believes the Lions would be a hit with the rugby-mad public.
'There would be no jetlag for starters!' he joked.
'It would be pretty cool. I don't know how happy the French clubs would be though because the Top 14 season is so gruelling and so long. But they (the public) would love it. It would be awesome.'
For now, all focus is on Australia, with Kinghorn likely to emerge as one of the key figures.
