There appeared to be no love lost between Lions 10s Dan Biggar and Johnny Sexton during Ireland's defeat to Wales in the spring.
Moments before Sexton was sin-binned at the Principality, his Welsh counterpart was alleged to have shouted, "Cheers, Johnny, boy. Have a good day, son." Or at least, one Welsh player definitely shouted it, and it sounded a lot like the Ospreys fly-half.
But bygones are bygones, or at least that's the idea on a Lions tour, and it's probably no coincidence that Warren Gatland had the Welsh and Irish 10s room together during the Lions' preparation last week.
Biggar, who made contact with Sexton after his side's Six Nations victory and denied it was he who had made the above remark, is regarded similarly by casual Welsh fans as Sexton is by the Irish; you could probably describe both player's on-field demeanours as 'sullen', and it's a reputation which wrongly precedes both off the pitch.
Speaking at a Lions media event yesterday, Biggar revealed that he and Sexton had forged quite the connection in Dublin last week, and that he's been making a point of getting to know players who might not have tickled his fancy over the past few Six Nations campaigns:
I was rooming with Johnny Sexton last week, it's probably been the narkiest room in the hotel, but it was a really good week.
Johnny and I have got on really well, maybe everyone else is the issue!
We've always gotten on well after playing so often against him, it is good to be on the same side.
I made the decision when first coming down to breakfast that I did not want to sit with players from my club or country because a tour like this is about getting on with guys you did not think you would get on with: you find out they are really good blokes.
So far no one has upset anyone.
Biggar also explained that all three touring fly-halves gather after training to pool together their tactical insight, as opposed to early spring and the physical shielding of calls in order to give nothing away to the opposition.
We are not holding anything back from each other: the greater aim is to win the Test series so if any of us has any knowledge that can help the team win games from small detail, it is important we put it out there.
We are all confident characters who are not afraid to speak our minds and say what we think. That will suit the team well.
What I have found interesting working with (Sexton and Farrell) is the amount you pick up off them, and that goes for other players as well. We have chats after training and talk about tactics. The two have so much knowledge and it is really interesting.
You can read Biggar's full interview in The Guardian.
