The mood at the British and Irish Lions stately training base in Maynooth, County Kildare was neatly reflected by the two dozen swans on the lake beside the endless winding drive leading up to Carton House. Serene on the surface but paddling frantically underneath to keep up will be the Lions default setting for the next few weeks, particularly in the wake of the gloomy news about Billy Vunipola’s tour-ending shoulder injury.
No man, as we all know, is bigger than his team, particularly when he has not yet worn the jersey. But Billy V? Not the Saracen tank who has been steamrollering all-comers, until the weekend at any rate. Not now. What a massive hole his absence leaves in Warren Gatland’s planning.
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