TRENDING NEWS
Back to news
28 Jul, 2025
Share:
'Win by will' - The powerful video Katie Taylor sent to the Lions
@Source: the42.ie
Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Jack Conan and Andy Farrell.Dan Sheridan/INPHO 'Win by will' - The powerful video Katie Taylor sent to the Lions Jack Conan was inspired by the message from his fellow Bray sportsperson. 8.01pm, 27 Jul 2025 Share options Murray Kinsella Reports from Sydney PERFORMANCE COACH GARY Keegan’s old connections came in handy for the Lions as they prepared for their second Test win against the Wallabies. Keegan, who works closely with Andy Farrell with Ireland and now the Lions, goes a long way back with Irish boxing icon Katie Taylor. He was the high performance director of the Irish Athletic Boxing Association when Taylor began to make a name for herself as an amateur, helping to guide the early stages of her career. So earlier this week, as Farrell’s Lions prepared for what they knew could be a decisive game against Australia in Melbourne, Keenan got onto his old friend. Taylor’s video went down brilliantly with the Lions squad and proved prescient in terms of how the second Test unfolded. “It was unbelievably poignant and powerful,” said Lions and Ireland number eight Jack Conan after the last-gasp 29-26 win over the Wallabies. “It spoke about being prepared to win with skill, but be ready to win by will. “I think that was something that summed up today massively because we were not at our best at all.” Conan hails from Bray, where Taylor is also from, so the video was particularly special for him. “Massively, huge,” said Conan. “Someone to come from the town I’m from, I’m incredibly proud of where I come from and I know Katie is as well. “She’s gone on to achieve incredible feats in the boxing world and to be such a superstar and be just incredibly humble and driven and knock it out of herself is something that we kind of leaned on as well, because we knew that Australia are a hugely proud nation and they showed it today in spades. Advertisement “They were unbelievable, they really were, but we just stuck in it for 80 minutes and just incredibly proud of the effort from the lads. Katie Taylor celebrates her recent win against Amanda Serrano.Gary Carr / INPHO Gary Carr / INPHO / INPHO “I know things didn’t click and we weren’t flowing properly, but we were getting off the line, trying to hit people, trying to make it count every chance we got. And I think we did that and that’s why we got the result in the end.” It wasn’t only Conan and the big group of Irish Lions who were impressed with Taylor’s message. Her words hit the mark with the rest of the squad. “Lads absolutely loved it because it meant a lot to me being from the same place and seeing her on the world stage, but I think everyone loved it, even the English and the Scottish boys and the Welsh boy, it resonated with everyone,” said Conan. “It was unbelievably poignant, it was class. It really hit home for us, it was brilliant.” Conan was standing outside the Lions’ dressing room with two cans of Guinness in his hands – “Sorry, the cans are not good, lads” – as he got his head around winning a series with the Lions. He played all three Tests on the 2021 tour of South Africa but the Lions lost that one and there were no crowds due to the pandemic. This trip to Australia has been altogether different. He revealed that the Lions’ training session on Thursday ahead of the second Test was “pretty shocking” and felt that possibly fed into their up-and-down performance at the MCG, but all that mattered to him was that the tourists had won. Conan joked that as a Leinster man he usually comes out on the wrong side of dramatic finishes like the one in Melbourne, so he was thrilled that his long-time team-mate Hugo Keenan, who is nicknamed ‘Barry,’ was the man to seal the series. “I was delighted for him… now in saying that, I would have liked it more if he gave me the ball on the edge and I scored the try,” said Conan. Conan with his daughter, Remi, and wife, Ali.Billy Stickland / INPHO Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO “No, delighted for Barry, I probably would have dropped it like the other one [in the first half]… no, that was knocked out of my hands, lads! “I was shouting for it, but Barry goes and scores a try, so I’ve no complaints. If he bottled it there in that moment, I would have killed him and kicked the arse off him afterwards, but that was great.” Conan’s wife and daughter have been in Australia to support him, while his twin sister and her husband also made it, along with a big group of Conan’s friends. “They’re on a proper stag do, some craic,” said Conan. “I met one of them earlier who flew in from Singapore and all the lads were already in the pub at half ten [in the morning] enjoying it and I was like, ‘f*cking b*stards, I’d love to be there’. “It’s great doing the lap afterwards and seeing so many familiar faces.” His friends had an early start in the pub but Conan is now a Lions series winner. “You can’t take that away from us,” said Conan with clear joy before wandering off to find the rest of the Lions so his celebrations could continue. Murray Kinsella Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “'Win by will' - The powerful video Katie Taylor sent to the Lions”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “'Win by will' - The powerful video Katie Taylor sent to the Lions”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. Racism or Hate speech An attack on an individual or group based on religion, race, gender, or beliefs. Trolling or Off-topic An attempt to derail the discussion. Inappropriate language Profanity, obscenity, vulgarity, or slurs. Advertising, phishing, scamming, bots, or repetitive posts. Please provide additional information Thank you for the feedback Your feedback has been sent to our team for review. Leave a commentcancel Access to the comments facility has been disabled for this user View our policy ⚠️ Duplicate comment Post Comment have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion Gary Keegan Katie Taylor FreeReaction Jim McGuinness: 'Sometimes in life you've got to put your hands up and take it on the chin' 39 mins ago JACK ATTACK 'I was inside here a month ago and there steam coming out of my ears' - Jack O'Connor 40 mins ago FreePodcastThe 42 GAA Weekly REACTION: Kerry crowned All-Ireland winners 44 mins ago Freeback-to-back England retain Euros title after dramatic penalty shootout win over Spain 53 mins ago FreeOn a Roll 'I’m just a bit euphoric about getting it done' - Padraig Harrington wins Senior Open England v Spain, Euro 2025 final FreeTime to say goodbye Jack O'Connor strongly indicates he will step down from Kerry management As it happened Kerry v Donegal, All-Ireland SFC Final England v Spain, Euro 2025 final Harrington holds Senior Open lead heading into final round after another 65 FreeKingdom Rulers Dominant Kerry turn on the style on All-Ireland final day to defeat Donegal Fintan O'Toole Reports from Croke Park more from us Investigates Daft.ie Property Magazine Allianz Home Magazine The 42 Sports Magazine TG4 Entertainment Magazine Money Diaries The Journal TV Journal Media Advertise With Us About FactCheck Our Network FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition more from us TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Journal Media Advertise With Us Our Network The Journal FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition © 2025 Journal Media Ltd Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition Switch to Desktop Switch to Mobile The 42 supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at https://www.presscouncil.ie, PH: (01) 6489130, Lo-Call 1800 208 080 or email: mailto:info@presscouncil.ie Report an error, omission or problem: Your Email (optional) Create Email Alert Create an email alert based on the current article Email Address One email every morning As soon as new articles come online Sign in or create a free account To continue reading create a free account Or sign into an existing account
For advertisement: 510-931-9107
Copyright © 2025 Usfijitimes. All Rights Reserved.