Harry Ellis has spoken of his immense pride at winning a Test cap on this summer’s Lions tour of South Africa.
The Leicester Tigers and England scrum-half came on as a replacement in the third and final international as Ian McGeechan’s tourists ended their 10-match adventure in style.
And while the 27-year-old says simply being a Lion was an honour in itself, Ellis admits that featuring against the Springboks was the ultimate achievement.
"It’s obviously superb to say I’m a Lion but to get on in that last Test was great,” said Ellis, who replaced Welsh No9 Mike Phillips in the 28-9 win in Johannesburg.
"I was very proud to feature against the Boks. It wasn’t just about being there.
"Being involved in the Test series was a real buzz and I had to wait quite a while to get my chance."
Having made it clear that a place in the tour squad alone seemed almost unthinkable 12 months before departure for South Africa, Ellis left the Republic with plenty of incredible memories.
Unsurprisingly, those experiences have left the England international wanting more. The result is that Ellis already has his heart set on a second Lions appearance in four years time.
"South Africa itself is a rugby-mad country so the South African supporters were mad,” added Ellis.
"It was quite quiet for the first couple of games but as the matches went on, people started coming out and the support was immense, especially for the Test matches. I’m sure the supporters who went out there had a great time as well as the players.
"It was a brilliant experience for me and for my family. I really enjoyed it and, hopefully, in another four years time I’ll still be around and will be able to put my hand up for contention again.”
