Tipuric came home from Ospreys training at their Landarcy base to find out he had been selected in Warren Gatland’s 41-man squad. If that wasn’t special enough, he will be travelling to the Land of the Long White Cloud with regional and national team-mates Rhys Webb and Dan Biggar.
The Ospreys trio have climbed the ladder together, from schoolboys at Under-16s to Wales Under-18s and 20 caps. Tipuric had to bide his time as the half-back duo forged their fledgling partnership during the 2007-08 campaign, before Tipuric broke into the side two seasons later.
But Tipuric was the first to be named in a British and Irish Lions touring party and played a key role in the third test triumph over Australia which sealed a first series victory for 16 years. They have amassed 479 Ospreys appearances and 125 Wales caps between them.
Biggar has since become the youngest person to surpass 200 Ospreys appearances, and Tipuric cannot wait to get on the plane with his old friends.
He said: “It’s special to get the call with boys I’ve played with for so long. I’ve played with Webby and Biggs all the way through age-grade rugby and came through the academy. We would have never thought we would do this together, all the hard work has paid off.
“It’s obviously something pretty special to be picked in the 2017 British and Irish Lions squad, it’s the pinnacle for any rugby player, it’s great to be a part of it. I’m not thinking too much about it right now, I’m focused on the work at the Ospreys, we’ve got two massive games coming up.
“I had a bit of food here at our training base and listened to it as I travelled home in the car. I walked through the door to see it on the TV, and I was on the list, so it was something special. The back-row is so competitive, you look at the Welsh regions and each one of them has real strength in depth in that area. Nobody could take their Lions place for granted, there were a few surprises and tough calls that had to be made, but that’s what it’s all about.”
