British and Irish Lions 2017: Squad bonding shows government Britain and Northern Ireland can work together

There are few things that help two British and Irish Lions players bond more than a cold beer after a tough game. It’s something that the management know well, some of them having been there before, and it’s why they are happy for the squad to drink while on tour in an effort to create the squad harmony needed to defeat a team of the calibre of the All Blacks.

So it must have come as a surprise to the rooming committee responsible for selecting roommates when they discovered that the pairing of Iain Henderson and Maro Itoje have bonded over their interest in politics.

“I’ve never had it with another rugby player,” said Ulsterman Henderson, who quickly realised Itoje’s love of political debate when he discovered in Auckland that he is coming to the end of a degree in African politics.

“That was the initial discussion. He was talking about politics and I was talking about Northern Irish politics, and our current inability to form a Government. Then in the last week or so we have discovered that the Conservatives and the DUP will be forming together to get rid of this hung Parliament so to speak.

“So I was just explaining to him again this week some of the – I’m trying to choose my words very carefully – brief summation of Northern Ireland in terms of Stormont and the politics that goes on in it.”

The 25-year-old Henderson will get his second start of the tour against the Highlanders on Tuesday night as he partners Courtney Lawes in the second-row, with the Ireland international getting another chance to press his claims for a Test jersey.

The first did not go too well, with Henderson singled out for criticism in failing to collect the kick-off that immediately put the Lions under pressure and resulted in them not leaving their own half for the first seven minutes of the match.

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That narrow 13-7 win over the New Zealand Provincial Barbarians was not a great one to be selected for. Just 72 hours after stepping off the plane following a two-day flight, Henderson and 14 others had to face a side eager to take their chance to prove themselves.

“That game seems like weeks and weeks ago now,” Henderson adds. “I think all the boys who are getting another crack at it will be looking forward to getting onto the pitch and getting a bit more game time. I think everyone's a little more confident in the systems and structures now. Confident with each other, confident in other people's company, playing with people, training with them a bit more.”

It just goes to show that the more time the Lions are given, the more they can prove that England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales can work together successfully. It’s something that Prime Minister Theresa May should probably take note of, given the current political state of the United Kingdom.

“I don’t know, it might be a little better run if there was a Lions squad in there!” jokes Henderson. It may not be achieving political peace on the messy scene that is the UK right now, but should the Lions down the All Blacks next month, it will certainly feel just as important to this squad.