Kinghorn itching to join Lions squad after Top 14 triumph

NEWS: Toulouse’s Scottish winger Blair Kinghorn said it had been “weird” seeing the British and Irish Lions tour start without him as he helped his club to a record-extending 24th French Top 14 title on Saturday.

The 28-year-old played the full 100 minutes, including the draining extra-time, as the giants of French rugby held off Bordeaux-Begles 39-33 in dramatic fashion to claim a third straight French crown.

Kinghorn, who can also play at fullback and flyhalf, flies to Australia with the Lions two games into a 10-match schedule for his first experience of the historic touring team.

He is only set to be available for the Lions when they face the Waratahs in Sydney next Saturday after a gruelling club campaign.

“I’ve been so focused on Toulouse stuff that I’ve not really thought about it too much,” Kinghorn told reporters, sipping a bottle of beer and wearing just a pair of club coloured red and black swimming briefs.

“It feels a bit weird, to be honest.

“It’s only like the last couple of days when I’ve had to pack and everything, it’s like, all right, I’m heading out there now,” the 63-time capped star added.

Success at a buoyant Stade de France capped off a frustrating season for serial-winners Toulouse.

Despite topping the Top 14 table after the regular season and scoring a record number of points, they lost their Champions Cup crown when they were knocked out in the semi-finals by eventual winners Bordeaux-Begles.

“That one feels sweet after probably not the best season we’ve had, even though the stats and all that back it up that we’ve had a great season,” he said.

“It doesn’t matter, the stats, if you don’t win something, it’s not a successful season.

“I’m over the moon, it’s amazing,” he added.

‘Bounce back’

Kinghorn is the only member of the Lions squad playing his club rugby in France.

Team-mate and English back-rower Jack Willis missed out on selection despite an impressive season for Toulouse.

Since leaving Wasps for France in 2022, Willis has been unable to add to his 15 England caps as he plays his rugby abroad.

“I think he’s been playing unbelievable rugby,” Kinghorn said.

“But he was a realist.

“He knows that there’s a lot of competition in that back row, and he’s not playing international rugby.

“But I’m sure if there’s an injury, he can potentially get called out because he’s in great form at the moment,” he added.

The Lions have started their tour with mixed results.

They lost to Argentina in Dublin last week before hammering the Western Force, their first game on Australian soil, 54-7, hours before Kinghorn lifted the 133-year-old Bouclier Shield (Bouclier de Brennus).

“It’s always tough coming together,” Kinghorn said.

“Everyone expects you to be like a great team from the get-go, but you don’t have those connections.

“So it’s good to see that they bounced back and got a great win,” the former Edinburgh full-back added.

Kinghorn arrives in Australia on Monday after a flight from Paris, a luxury three of his compatriots would only dream of.

His fellow former Edinburgh Academicals players in the three Maclean brothers, Lachlan, Ewan, and Jamie, are rowing 9,000 miles (14,480km) across the Pacific Ocean to Australia to raise money for clean water projects.

“It’s nuts what they’re doing,” Kinghorn said.

“They’re sleeping 90 minutes, getting up and rowing.

“It’s carnage.

“They’re hopefully going to try and make it for one of the games.

“But obviously with mother nature you never really know what’s going to happen,” he added.