Pierre Schoeman hits back at critics of foreign-born British and Irish Lions

Lions great Willie John McBride has said the number of players in the squad born outside of Britain and Ireland ‘bothered’ him

Pierre Schoeman is fully embedded within the Scottish culture (Getty Images)

Pierre Schoeman insists the British and Irish Lions’ overseas-born contingent have earned the right to be in Australia and have fully immersed themselves in the tourists’ culture.

The Scotland prop is one of eight Lions players who were born, raised and educated in South Africa, New Zealand or Australia but qualify for their home unions through residency or family lineage.

Players who hail from the southern hemisphere representing the Lions is nothing new, but the number of them present in Andy Farrell’s squad has caused a stir.

Lions great Willie John McBride said it “bothered” him, while former England scrum-half Danny Care declared that “it doesn’t sit that well with me”.

But Schoeman insists they are ready to give everything in the quest to complete a series victory over the Wallabies, with Saturday’s fixture against Western Force their first assignment on Australian soil.

“If you’re good enough to play for your country, you’re good enough to play for the Lions and you’re selected, then obviously you’re going to do that,” said Schoeman, who made five appearances for South Africa Under-20s in 2014.

“Playing for the Lions is massive. Scotland is home for us, my wife and myself. I know that’s for the other players as well, like Mack Hansen has made Ireland home.

“You embrace that. You fully take that on. It’s like the series Outlander – you move to a different country and now that’s your house. You live there.

Pierre Schoeman has become a popular Scotland international (PA Wire)

“If you work for one of the big four in finance, you get the opportunity, you’re going to go for it. And you can really make that home.

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“But this is much different. To represent the British and Irish Lions, you fully buy into that and its culture. You fully submerge into that. Nothing else matters. Not your past, not the future. It’s about the now.

“Yesterday is gone forever, tomorrow might never come, now is the time to live. That’s what we do as Lions. It’s about the now, this tour. This is what really matters.”

The Lions arrived in Perth on the back of a 28-24 defeat by Argentina in Dublin, where they were given a taster of the support to come in Australia.

A sold-out Aviva Stadium was swamped in red for the tour send-off and Schoeman insists it is essential to deliver for the hoards of fans who will make the journey Down Under.

The sea of red flooded Dublin for the tour opener against Argentina (PA)

“It was an amazing experience in Dublin to see the red army. It was incredible,” he said.

“You have to feel the responsibility of 50,000 or more fans coming to Australia. So you have a massive obligation and responsibility.

“We as the selected guys, management and players in this team have to make it happen.

“There’s no space for dead weight on this team. Everyone has to push in the same direction.

“It’s about driving this whole team towards a collective goal of going beyond and being back-to-back winners against Australia.”

PA