HIS GAELIC FOOTBALL background is well documented but when Tommy Bowe takes the field in Melbourne on Saturday, the Ulster man will bring a little bit of hurling with him.
The Ireland wing was named in the XV to face the Wallabies at the Etihad Stadium today after a near-miraculous comeback from a broken bone in his hand three weeks ago.
Bowe initially thought it was ‘game over’ but one surgeon insisted he’d seen rugby league players make a recovery within a fortnight or so. The Monaghan man has now indeed made the turnaround for the crunch second Test and will trot out wearing a hurling glove shipped in from Ireland.
“I’ve never worn one before but it feels good,” Bowe said today. “I didn’t restrict it at all, it’s just a bit of padding. It’s not going to do anything for me really but if I was to get a snap directly on it it’s just adding a bit of protection. It’s more just a bit of padding but there’s nothing on the inside so there’s nothing to affect my catching and passing.”
“Andrew Trimble I know had fractured a bone in his hand a couple of years ago and used a hurling glove,” said Bowe, ” he played a couple of games for Ireland so we got in contact with the same guys and they shipped it straight out to us.”
'It feels good' -- Tommy Bowe on the hurling glove helping him line out for the Lions
HIS GAELIC FOOTBALL background is well documented but when Tommy Bowe takes the field in Melbourne on Saturday, the Ulster man will bring a little bit of hurling with him.
The Ireland wing was named in the XV to face the Wallabies at the Etihad Stadium today after a near-miraculous comeback from a broken bone in his hand three weeks ago.
Bowe initially thought it was ‘game over’ but one surgeon insisted he’d seen rugby league players make a recovery within a fortnight or so. The Monaghan man has now indeed made the turnaround for the crunch second Test and will trot out wearing a hurling glove shipped in from Ireland.
“I’ve never worn one before but it feels good,” Bowe said today. “I didn’t restrict it at all, it’s just a bit of padding. It’s not going to do anything for me really but if I was to get a snap directly on it it’s just adding a bit of protection. It’s more just a bit of padding but there’s nothing on the inside so there’s nothing to affect my catching and passing.”
The Lions Twitter account tweeted its thanks to Galway legend Joe Rabbitte for the piece of gear this week.
“Andrew Trimble I know had fractured a bone in his hand a couple of years ago and used a hurling glove,” said Bowe, ” he played a couple of games for Ireland so we got in contact with the same guys and they shipped it straight out to us.”
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Australia Rugby Brian O'Driscoll British and Irish Lions Lions 2013 Paul O'Connell Rugby Sam Warburton Tommy Bowe Warren Gatland