For the majority of people who witnessed Richard Hibbard’s collision with George Smith in the third Test between Australia and the British & Irish Lions, the Welsh hooker’s assessment of the incident is truly startling.
Hibbard met the legendary Wallabies flanker head on just minutes into the series decider – a hit which left Smith with concussion and could be felt from the heart of Cardiff, let alone the ANZ Stadium.
For the Ospreys man though, it was just a minor blot on the landscape of the Lions’ crushing 41-16 victory.
Hibbard, who started in Sydney after being picked as a replacement for the first two Tests, gave it everything for just shy of 50 minutes before being replaced by Tom Youngs. The human wrecking ball played a vital role in the Lions’ scrum dominance, even blacking out at one set piece, as the men in red moved into an early 16-3 lead.
“I just wanted to play my heart out and give it my best,” was Hibbard’s whole-hearted assessment on his third Test performance.
“I would have done anything for the team that day and I tried my best at wrecking people.”
Hibbard, speaking on his return from Australia, featured in nine of the 10 Lions’ tour games with his destructive ball carrying and set piece ability praised by head coach Warren Gatland.
But after returning from a tour which secured a first series win for the Lions since 1997, Hibbard says he was initially just happy to be selected.
“When I hurt my knee in Glasgow I thought I was cursed but I ended up playing nine of the 10 games on tour so it was happy days,” he said.
“The support has been great. I thought it was a really good tour and the boys showed what they can do on and off the field. We hit it off instantly – I can’t say there’s one person I wouldn’t talk to now.”
Following a long season, Hibbard is looking forward to a well-deserved break in the south of France but like any true professional, he couldn’t help but look ahead to the next campaign.
The Lions’ success has provided a huge boost to northern hemisphere rugby and with such a large Welsh contingent in Gatland’s Lions’ squad, Hibbard is hoping the achievement can be translated into further Welsh success at the Millennium Stadium this autumn.
“After Lions tours everyone sees a dip in form and that’s something we can’t afford to do,” he added.
“The four teams we have in the autumn won’t be pushovers and it’s all about momentum now. The World Cup is two years away and realistically, we’re aiming for that as well as having a strong autumn and retaining the Six Nations again.
“We’ve got a talented squad and we did well in the last World Cup but I’m just looking forward to putting my feet up for the next few weeks.”
After giving his body a battering in Australia, a period of recuperation will be vital. But before disappearing home, Hibbard had one last word on the Lions’ experience and the next tour in 2017.
His message makes for positive reading for all four home nations.
“New Zealand is the toughest tour you can do but if we can manage to get the type of squad we had this time then we can do it,” said Hibbard.
“I just think the size, the power and the pace this team has got is world beating – it could beat anyone on their day, including New Zealand.”
