The British and Irish Lions' disastrous tour of New Zealand in 2005 will serve as a huge source of motivation for Paul O'Connell, the captain of the 2009 vintage.
Under the guidance of Sir Clive Woodward, the Lions were whitewashed 3-0 by a Dan Carter-inspired All Blacks side. The defeat clearly still rankles with O'Connell who played every minute of all three Tests.
"A lot of things went against us on the tour and at the same time I don't think we did the tradition proud," said the hulking Munster lock.
"I think for me personally, looking back at 2005 is a big motivation.
"I think it's important that when the players wear the jersey on this tour, they live up to the tradition and the history of the jersey.
"I think when you look back at some of the players that have won the British and Irish Lions jersey down the years, there were great players. Maybe in 2005 we didn't live up to that."
O'Connell also revealed that he was not the only one keen on putting to bed what happened in 2005, adding: "I know for a few other guys that were on the tour, it's the same thing.
"Living up to the tradition of the jersey is a big thing for us.
"A lot of us when we play for our clubs give everything playing for Munster or Ireland.
"I think the same thing applies when we play for the British and Irish Lions."
The Lions touched down in Johannesburg yesterday and kick-off their trip with a match against a Royal XV in Rustenburg on Saturday.
Given the four withdrawals so far McGeechan would have been a relieved man yesterday after seeing his entire squad go through their paces trouble-free.
Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll, who suffered a shoulder injury scare during Leinster's Heineken Cup final victory over Leicester in Edinburgh three days ago, was among those who took a full part in training. He showed no ill effects from the injury as McGeechan continued the build-up for Saturday's first game.
The Lions assistant coach, Wales boss Warren Gatland, confirmed the feelgood factor among a squad seeking to emulate the 1997 Test series triumph against world champions South Africa.
Gatland said: "I think we are lot further forward than we expected after the first week we had together in England.
"The players have picked up the calls and things really quickly.
"Playing against South Africa is always tough. We have got to be accurate against them for 80 minutes."
* With agencies
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
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The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
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WORLD CUP FINAL
England v South Africa
Yokohama International Stadium, Tokyo
Saturday, kick-off 1pm (UAE)
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
SQUADS
South Africa:
JP Duminy (capt), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wkt), AB de Villiers, Robbie Frylinck, Beuran Hendricks, David Miller, Mangaliso Mosehle (wkt), Dane Paterson, Aaron Phangiso, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Tabraiz Shamsi
Bangladesh
Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Imrul Kayes, Liton Das (wkt), Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim (wkt), Nasir Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shafiul Islam, Soumya Sarkar, Taskin Ahmed
Fixtures
Oct 26: Bloemfontein
Oct 29: Potchefstroom
Keane on …
Liverpool’s Uefa Champions League bid: “They’re great. With the attacking force they have, for me, they’re certainly one of the favourites. You look at the teams left in it - they’re capable of scoring against anybody at any given time. Defensively they’ve been good, so I don’t see any reason why they couldn’t go on and win it.”
Mohamed Salah’s debut campaign at Anfield: “Unbelievable. He’s been phenomenal. You can name the front three, but for him on a personal level, he’s been unreal. He’s been great to watch and hopefully he can continue now until the end of the season - which I’m sure he will, because he’s been in fine form. He’s been incredible this season.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s instant impact at former club LA Galaxy: “Brilliant. It’s been a great start for him and for the club. They were crying out for another big name there. They were lacking that, for the prestige of LA Galaxy. And now they have one of the finest stars. I hope they can go win something this year.”
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Day 1, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Dimuth Karunaratne had batted with plenty of pluck, and no little skill, in getting to within seven runs of a first-day century. Then, while he ran what he thought was a comfortable single to mid-on, his batting partner Dinesh Chandimal opted to stay at home. The opener was run out by the length of the pitch.
Stat of the day - 1 One six was hit on Day 1. The boundary was only breached 18 times in total over the course of the 90 overs. When it did arrive, the lone six was a thing of beauty, as Niroshan Dickwella effortlessly clipped Mohammed Amir over the square-leg boundary.
The verdict Three wickets down at lunch, on a featherbed wicket having won the toss, and Sri Lanka’s fragile confidence must have been waning. Then Karunaratne and Chandimal's alliance of precisely 100 gave them a foothold in the match. Dickwella’s free-spirited strokeplay meant the Sri Lankans were handily placed at 227 for four at the close.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.