'Full Circle' - Tommy Freeman stars for the Lions in the same stadium as England debut

Tommy Freeman's international career has come full circle this week, as he returned to the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. Freeman put in a stellar performance for the British & Irish Lions in their win over Queensland Reds, in what was the same venue that hosted the wings' England debut.

Re-wind the clocks back to July 9th 2022, and Freeman was apart of a trio of uncapped England hopefuls that were selected for the second Test of the three-match series. Australia had taken an upper hand over Eddie Jones' tourists from the first meeting in Perth, yet Freeman, alongside fellow debutants Will Joseph and Guy Porter secured a 25-17 win in Brisbane.

Now, some three years later, Freeman returned to the Gold Coast as part of the Lions touring party. Backed by the iconic sea of red, the Northampton Saints man ran in two tries against Queensland, to contribute towards a one-sided 52-12 win on tour. Freeman expressed how surreal it felt to return to the place where he made his England debut, but only to be wearing the iconic red jersey of the Lions.

"Really good. It's a pretty special place for me, I made my England debut here so it is good to come back and represent the Lions, and get a win like that."

The Lions face yet another quick turnaround, as they head down the East Coast of Australia from Brisbane to Sydney. The tourists are set for their third clash against the resident Super Rugby clubs, with a battle with the New South Wales Waratahs booked in for Saturday. The full on travel schedule has not been lost upon the players, with Freeman pulling back the curtain to reveal how the squad is coping with the jam packed itinerary.

"Andy [Farrell] mentioned it in there [changing room], obviously we are now doing Wednesday games and Saturday games, there is not much time for actual on-pitch training. So, it's actually kind of about staying in mentality. We got the detail right, we got the knowledge to come out and perform like that. We want to back that up each week, week in week out, until these Test games.

"The travel to the different destinations that takes it's toll as well. It's keeping the bodies as fresh as possible to go again. Whenever you're called upon you never know, with injuries, bits and pieces, illnesses and things like that, you never know when you're going to be called upon. So it's about staying fit, staying right mentally and being ready to go whenever you are called upon."

Whilst the intensity of the consistent match action has certainly stepped up, Freeman revealed how there is still plenty of time to enjoy the customary festivities that comes with the world famous touring side. Freeman has also joined the club of budding jersey collectors, as he swapped his Lions shirt with a Queensland Reds player after the match."

"There's always time for fun. That's the main thing about these tours as well, is that you want to enjoy every moment on and off the pitch."

"Yes, I got the swap, I nice piece of memorabillia for the journey home."