James Lowe issued a defiant message after his ancestry was highlighted by a stadium announcer before the British and Irish Lions’ win over Western Force.
The Lions ran riot at the Optus Stadium in Perth on Saturday – winning 54-7 as they gear up to face Australia in the First Test on July 19.
New Zealand-born Lowe, who boasts 40 international caps for Ireland, starred against Western Force as he finished the match with two assists and three clean breaks.
A host of current Lions stars hail from the southern hemisphere, which has caused quite a stir in Australia.
Australia boss Joe Schmidt recently highlighted the ancestry of a number of the players.
And one cheeky stadium announcer decided to have some fun in front of 46,000 fans on Saturday – a record attendance for the Force.
Reading out the Lions team to those in the stands, the PA said: “The Western Force announcer here, going through the Lions 23.
“Our former Aussie, Mack Hansen! Another former Aussie, Sione Tuipulotu!
“It’s the Kiwi, now Irishman, James Lowe! The former SA schoolboy, now Scotsman, Pierre Schoeman!'”
And Leinster winger Lowe, who played six times for the Maori All Blacks between 2014-2017, has now reacted to the taunts – urging announcers to keep it going.
He told BBC Sport: “I get used to it, man. I’ve been getting slagged my whole life, my whole career.
“It doesn’t matter where I go, I seem to get slagged.
Lowe qualified to play for Ireland in 2020 after completing the three-year residency periodGetty Leinster winger Lowe is one of a number of Lions star that were born and raised in the southern hemisphereGetty“They can say what they want. We are here now, feet in the ground in Australia.
“We have put in a performance that we want and are happy with and will hopefully carry it on.
“Hopefully a few more Kiwis or Saffas [New Zealanders and South Africans] play next week and we can keep the same gag going if we keep on getting the same result.”
As for Tuipulotu, who was born and raised in Melbourne but qualifies to play for Scotland through his grandfather, he was also quick to dismiss the jibes about his ancestry.
The Scotland skipper said: “I knew there would be some ‘good humour’ coming back home to Australia.
“These are all things we’ve got to take in our stride.
Australia head coach Schmidt recently highlighted the ancestry of some Lions squad membersGetty“To not announce the elephant in the room, I am from Australia. I was born here. I don’t know how funny that gag is to everyone.”
Tuipulotu’s comments come after Schmidt referred to him and Ireland’s New Zealand-born star Bundee Aki as the ‘southern hemisphere centre partnership’.
Schmidt has since apologised for what he said in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald.
He remarked: “It wasn’t meant to be a swipe or a jibe at all.
“In fact, it was sloppy from me because someone had just been talking to me and described it as that [‘the southern hemisphere partnership’], and then I used their words. I should have just stuck to my own words.
“I’m a big believer in the values of the game, so is Faz [Lions head coach Andy Farrell]. I’ve never seen Faz stirring the pot. His energy goes into the team, not into stirring the pot.
The Lions on talkSPORT
talkSPORT has all of the British and Irish Lions matches live across the network. Eddie Jones is among the star-studded line-up leading the coverage Down Under.
June 20, Dublin: Lions vs Argentina
June 28, Perth: Lions vs Western Force
July 2, Brisbane: Lions vs Queensland Reds
July 5, Sydney: Lions vs New South Wales Waratahs
July 9, Canberra: Lions vs ACT Brumbies
July 12, Adelaide: Lions v ANZAC XV
July 12, Brisbane: Lions v Wallabies
July 22, Melbourne: Lions v First Nations and Pasifika XV
July 26, Melbourne: Lions v Wallabies
August 2, Sydney: Lions v Wallabies
“There are coaches who certainly do it, and they even talk to their team through the media sometimes.
“But if I’ve got something to say to a player, I’d rather say it to them, than fire a barrel through the media.
“I know that a lift-out quote or a phrase can be a headline and inevitably, even after 20-plus years of doing this job, I’ll get it wrong.
“I’m conscious of it and I’m conscious that other coaches do it, but I don’t anticipate it happening in this Lions tour.
“Faz and I have had a few conversations about how we’d like the narrative of the tour to be a celebration of rugby. I think for Australian rugby, we need that.”
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