‘Props are quite weird people': Inside the Lions' secret society
Historically, the beauty of a Lions tour is that it breaks down all national and provincial groupings. Some barriers, however, can never be overcome. Props, as the wildly engaging Schoeman articulates, are a breed apart, physically and psychologically from all others. 'I think looseheads all around the world are very similar,' Schoeman said. 'They are quite weird people. Something isn't right. We always say that playing rugby you must have a screw loose but playing rugby as a loosehead prop… I won't even get into the tighthead props. Looseheads like going to dark places, physically, mentally, spiritually. But tightheads can go even darker sometimes.'
And so the six props – looseheads Schoeman, Ellis Genge, Andrew Porter and tightheads Tadhg Furlong, Will Stuart and Finlay Bealham – naturally band together whether walking down the street together or by night, they sneak into each other's hotel rooms without the other players' knowledge.
'We actually have a prop group that none of our other team members are allowed on,' Schoeman said. 'We are like bison, migrating together. We have a secret meeting every night, Finlay Bealham started it and now all the props have bought in. We stick together and have a tea after every training session and we get to meet each other's families and ask deep questions. But it is just for props in our group in whatever hotel we live in.'
To be clear, it is props only. Hookers do not qualify and Luke Cowan-Dickie was nonplussed to discover its existence on Friday. 'They [the rest of the squad] don't know about it,' Schoeman said. 'But our secret is out now.'
It is not always harmonious within the prop camp, particularly if they are rooming with Schoeman. 'I room with Ellis at the moment,' Schoeman. 'If I snore too much he gets grumpy, then I snore more.' Competition in training is also ferocious with Schoeman calling the props 'gladiators'. In which case what role does John Fogarty, the scrum coach, play? 'He has the key for the cage to unlock the gladiators,' Schoeman said. 'That's probably the best way to describe him.'
The point of prop club is not necessarily to exclude the wingers and fly-halves but to build bonds among themselves by opening up to each other. Porter, for instance, discusses the challenges of being away from his six-week-old son while Genge has filled in Schoeman on the charms of his native Knowle West in Bristol. 'I know a lot of things about Gengey. I sat through phone calls, I know all his business friends, family everything,' Schoeman said. 'I have asked him to phone my family as well.'
Those bonds extend through the generations of the Lions props. South Africa-born Schoeman, who qualifies for Scotland on residency, is fully aware of the outsized influence props have exerted in Lions history. That extends back to the role that the late Tom Smith and Paul Wallace's heroics in the 1997 series against the Springboks to Ian 'Mighty Mouse' McLauchlan, a star of the 1971 and 1974 tours, who passed away on the day of the Lions' opening match against Argentina on June 20.
'Tom Smith is close to my heart because he has played for Scotland as well and I have sat on the same seat as him at Murrayfield which I have been honoured and blessed with, but it is not about me,' Schoeman said. 'It is an amazing question and we do deep dive on it [history], sometimes Si [Easterby] our defensive coach before training or matches will take us through some of the key figures to create that aura. We speak about it, just a word, we have to be present in them and we have to deliver physically and mentally in that moment.
'That's what the jersey demands of us as loosehead props, like Mighty Mouse –- his family watch all our games – and that's the legacy of it. Our families will hopefully live a long and abundant life but it's much bigger than just that, it is much bigger than just that, so give it your all. That means fully submerge in everything in your tour.'
After an encouraging performance up front in the 28-24 defeat by Argentina, the Lions scrum has been on the wrong end of the penalty count in the past two warm-up games against Western Force and Queensland Reds. On Saturday, Schoeman will aim to put the Lions on the front foot alongside Bealham against the Waratahs.
This will be no easy task as Australia have released the 'Tongan Thor' Taniela Tupou specifically to play in this match. At his best, Tupou is one of the most destructive scrummagers in the world and Lions head coach Andy Farrell says that 'he's got a point to prove' on Saturday.
With the games now coming thick and fast, the pressure is also on Schoeman's considerable shoulders to put the fear factor back into the Lions' scrum. 'We have massive respect for [Tupou],' Schoeman said. 'I played him for a few years in Super Rugby, when I played for the Bulls. It was a few years ago, RG Snyman was playing with me at the Bulls. I think we got the win. Since then he has been a powerhouse, played against him for Australia a few times, so have the other boys in the Lions squad. Respect to him.
'You have to be resilient [with the schedule]. They obviously chose the squad for their super strengths. But as Faz mentioned, as a Lion you put a smile on your face and there's no excuses. You have to deliver. Fans, travel, media, friends… anything goes. You have to deliver. You have to be sharp in training. You have to be on your game but also enjoy it.'
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