Jamie George believes the second Test of The British & Irish Lions Tour to New Zealand is the key performance of his career so far and the one he will aim to emulate in future.
The Saracens and England hooker started all three Tests for the Lions during the summer, along with the wins over Crusaders and the Maori All Blacks as well as making a substitute appearance against the New Zealand Provincial Barbarians.
Speaking ahead of Saracens meeting with Northampton Saints in the Champions Cup, he told the Telegraph: “I feel I’ve developed hugely off the back of that Tour. It’s given me an increased confidence but at the same time I do put expectation on myself.”
The Lions came from behind in extremely difficult conditions to win the second Test, tries from Taulupe Faletau and Conor Murray proving enough to overhaul the All Blacks in a hard-fought contest.
For George, 26, that performance stood out for its intensity and physicality.
He added: “The second Test in particular, was one I was proud of. That’s where I set the standard. The bar is set there and all my performances are based off that. It was generally the intensity of the way I played. The thing I was most pleased about was my physicality, especially in the second half. That is the one game I have watched back the most and realised where I need to be.
“That’s the benchmark. I want to keep striving to get beyond that.”
To read the rest of Jamie’s fascinating interview with the Telegraph, click here.
