Simon Zebo will pull on a Lions jersey for the first time this saturday and join an elite club. To mark the big day for the Corkman we have trawled through the archives and put together 5 of the best moments from his rugby career so far. They highlight Zebo's flamboyant and skillful style both on and off the pitch.
1. Zebo's mudslide try against Racing Metro
One thing that stands out about Zebo's Munster career is how regularly he scores in Heineken Cup games. Here is he using the surroundings to score a try against Racing Metro. Even when he is sliding through the mud Zebo manages to look slick.
Loses cool points for those ridiculous short shorts. Even Donal Lenihan would have gone for a bit more length back in the day.
2. His hat trick against Northampton
Munster were already through to the last eight when they travelled to play Northampton in their final pool game. The game was evenly matched when Zebo sprung into life scoring three second half tries. Each one showed a different part of his skill set. His electric pace.
His support running and his ability to cut a line
3. Simon Zebo's days as a big man on campus and schools rugby legend
Simon Zebo was known as a talent long before he walked through the doors at Munster. Zebo's days playing schools rugby with Pres Cork marked him as one to watch for the future. You can see it here, he was even too fast for the Setanta cameramen to accurately follow.
4. The flick against Wales
The day Zebo's talent exploded on a national stage. His cheeky flick in the buildup to Cian Healy's try encapsulated Ireland's incredible first half performance against the Welsh. For one moment anything seemed possible for both Ireland's and Zebo's campaign.
RTE news even did a 2 minute and 17 second feature on Zebo. Usually that sort of airtime is reserved for a murder or Dobbo taking on a politician about their finances.
The stardom poured in for Zebo and someone even thought of a flick/Taylor Swift mashup
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5MtjmxC6cA&feature=player_embedded
And of course there was the obligatory wikipedia alteration.
5. The perks of being Simon Zebo
After the Cardiff flick, many doors were opened for Zebo. That night he flew home, walked straight through the door in a nightclub in Cork and hit the DJ decks. Him and Cian Healy have been deep rivals ever since.
!And if leading Irish sports personalities are to be believed, Zebo cleans up quite well with the "Sheilas".