Lions hooker Jamie George names and shames 'worst committee ever'

England hooker Jamie George has admitted he has been wracking his brains trying to come up with entertaining downtime activities for the Lions squad following their arrival in pandemic-restricted South Africa this week for their eight-game, three-Test tour.

George is part of the entertainments committee tasked with keeping the mood all sweetness and light away from work. It’s a responsibility he is well-versed in from his England days but the 2017 Lions tourist knows it will be hard to impress in South Africa given the lack of outside-hotel options compared to the multiple activities that could be done four years ago in New Zealand.   

While George, one of the five-strong Saracens contingent who hooked up with the Lions after winning the Championship title, is busy trying to formulate ideas that will satisfy the bubble-restricted Lions in the weeks ahead, he also named and shamed which committee is already the worst on the tour, questioning its relevancy.

The making of England star Maro Itoje

Jim Hamilton was lucky enough to spend some time with Vitality ambassador and former teammate @maroitoje before he jets off to South Africa for the British & Irish Lions Series.
The Saracens lock told us all about how he got into rugby from his days at school and how family plays a key role in his life.

The making of England star Maro Itoje

Jim Hamilton was lucky enough to spend some time with Vitality ambassador and former teammate @maroitoje before he jets off to South Africa for the British & Irish Lions Series.
The Saracens lock told us all about how he got into rugby from his days at school and how family plays a key role in his life.

“We’re pretty restricted in terms of where we can go but the hotel space that we have is actually pretty big and there is a nice pool area and decking so we’re not in prison. It’s decent,” quipped George. “We have a day off Wednesday. I’m on the entertainments committee so I’m wracking my brains at the minute how to keep the boys entertained.

“Everyone is in a committee and there are people that are genuinely on the food committee. Bearing in mind we have brought our own chef over (Andre Moore, who works with Wayne Pivac’s Wales), it has to be the worse committee ever, the easiest committee ever. Whoever is on that has done well,” continued George, explaining there is added pressure on his entertainments committee to produce the goods with Johannesburg now governed by travel restrictions, an alcohol ban and an overnight curfew.

The Lions got down work at St Peter’s College in Johannesburg on Tuesday with new skips Conor Murray making a startling admission about the viability of the tour#LionsRugbyhttps://t.co/D6jbqsCET0

— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) June 29, 2021

“Yes, there is (added pressure). I haven’t done anything yet. Didn’t really have an opportunity because I missed the first week (in Jersey) so I felt it was more important for me to learn the plays than put on a show for the boys. Now that we are here and settled, the group has gelled really well and it’s just giving people opportunities to get to know each other. There are some cards going on. People are integrating into the group well.

“Elliot (Daly) is in it [entertainments committee]. Huw Bennett does a lot of stuff for Wales and he is here on the S&C. He has got some good ideas, weird and wacky ideas, so it will be good to pick his brains. The important thing for us is it’s not just the players gelling, it’s everyone. We’ll get something on this week, some game show of some kind I imagine.”

There was a quick catch-up on Sunday morning in Edinburgh before they went their separate ways…#LionsRugbyhttps://t.co/uSrflBCyNQ

— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) June 29, 2021