It took 47 hours for Jamie George to travel from San Juan in Argentina to Australia in order to link up with the British and Irish Lions again last week. Now the hooker is determined to take a last opportunity he “never expected.”

A Lions tourist in 2017 to New Zealand and 2021 to South Africa, George started all three Tests against the All Blacks in the former series.

The 34-year-old was passed up for selection by Andy Farrell this time around, however, and though he was brought in as training cover in Dublin, he was not selected in the 23-player squad to face Argentina at the Aviva Stadium before departing the group.

A second late call-up will bring about an appearance in red this time, though, as George starts for the Lions against a First Nations & Pasifika XV on Tuesday in Melbourne, live on Sky Sports.

“It was chaos, really, because I didn’t understand how it was all going to work,” George says.

“So I woke up on Saturday morning preparing for our second Test against Argentina to a couple of messages saying Luke Cowan-Dickie had picked up a head knock.

“Steve Borthwick spoke to me and basically was the one that told me I was going to Australia. Then I spoke to Andy Farrell and there was a conversation about whether I could play in the game and then come, because there were no flights out of San Juan that night so I had to stay for the game anyway.

“Door-to-door, it was about 47 hours’ travel, from San Juan to Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires to Rio, Rio to Dubai, Dubai to Brisbane.

“I gave the world a good lap but look, if it was up to me, I would have swum here.

“Getting that call, I reflected on the disappointment of not being selected in the initial squad, I was heartbroken at that. Now I’ve got an opportunity to put the jersey on again. Some of the best memories I’ve ever had on a rugby field were in 2017 with the Lions.

“To be able to represent the Lions again is stuff dreams are made of. All the superlatives I can think of or that we’ve heard from everyone, it’s genuinely true.

“For me, it’s emotional to be able to be back out there. I never thought this opportunity was going to come.”

‘Tuesday is one of the biggest games of my career’

From Argentina to Australia, George now has his eyes set on impressing enough to push into Test contention.

Dan Sheehan has stood out for the Lions so far at hooker, but Ronan Kelleher has struggled at lineout-time, while Luke Cowan-Dickie has been out injured due to concussion.

As a result there may well be a chance for George, whose thoughts turn to his parents – his father having had his initial flight to Australia cancelled but now en route, and his mother having sadly passed away in February 2024.

“I’m blown away, find it very surreal and am taken aback. This will be one of the biggest games of my career,” he says.

“I never thought I’d have this opportunity again and I’m not going to let it slip. I’m as motivated as I’ve ever been.

“I can’t think too far ahead. Dan Sheehan for me is the best hooker on the planet at the minute, if not one of the best rugby players on the planet. He’s unbelievable. I couldn’t be more impressed with him.

“All I can do is focus on enjoying every opportunity I get. It might be the last time for me, it might not be, but I’ll try and put my best foot forward. I won’t complain if it’s the last time.

“When I do it, I want to make sure I make people proud, make the jersey proud. I’ll do everything I possibly can to win in a Lions jersey.

“International selection is one thing, being selected is one thing, but winning as a Lion is different. That’s what it’s all about.

“Some of my happiest memories of my mum and dad have been on the 2017 Lions tour. It’s sad that my mum’s not going to be able to be there.

“Being able to do stuff like this for people like my old man, giving him the opportunity to travel Australia and watch his son play for the Lions, that’s a special bit about what I do.

“It’s the biggest motivation about why I do what I do.”

Gatland: Tuesday really important opportunity for players – Farrell must give them belief

Sky Sports analyst and three-time Lions head coach Warren Gatland:

“Tuesday is an opportunity for the players. It becomes really, really important.

“There will be a lot of Lions players who will be looking at tonight’s result and performance and thinking: ‘I need to really perform well on Tuesday to put myself either in with a chance for selection the following week [third Test] or in the Test match 23 [second Test].

“One of the things Andy Farrell has to do, and we’ve done this in the past, is make the players believe that with a really good performance on Tuesday, you still have a chance of being selected for the Test side on Saturday.

“In 2013 when we were here, after the first Test we had some players who did get selected for the second Test with having a really good performance in Melbourne.

“It’s going to be hard to make some changes. I can’t see many being made between the first and second Tests, but you have to make players believe: ‘Go out there and perform well on Tuesday and you never know what could happen.’

British and Irish Lions tour of Australia on Sky Sports

Sky Sports will exclusively show the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, with all three Tests against the Wallabies and seven tour matches to be shown exclusively live.

Howden Insurance – proud principal partner and front-of-shirt sponsor of the British and Irish Lions. Find out more here.