Zebo is preparing for the Wings for Life World Run Source: Dan Sheridan/INPHO
IRELAND AND MUNSTER wing Simon Zebo is taking part in the Wings for Life World Run in Dun Laoghaire on 3 May. Ahead of the event, Zebo chatted to The42 about his life inside and outside of professional rugby.
Here are 10 things we learned about the speedster.
1. We knew he was fast, but he reckons he’d smoke most people in Irish rugby over 100m
If you’ve ever seen Simon Zebo play, you’ll know he brims with confidence. He loves to take people on and uses his searing pace to do it. We asked him how he’d fare in a triple threat 100m sprint with Keith Earls and Luke Fitzgerald and he was fairly bullish.
2. Athletics saved him from a life of cauliflower ears, jackling and scrum seminars…
… or maybe he would just be a step slower. Guess we will never know.
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‘I did loads of athletics when I was younger and my dad had me on the track from two years of age. It really helped me develop as a player. Without it I might have ended up in the back row or the centre!’
3. He took to most sports pretty easily
He was a decent runner, Gaelic footballer and soccer player. The prospect of playing at Old Trafford stills appeals to him occasionally… oh, and the money wouldn’t have been bad either.
4. I you like Indian food, you could do worse than making friends with Zebo
The former Lion lists a load of things he likes to do away from the training ground and one of them is cooking for his pals.
5. Winning means the most to Zebo but he prefers playing as an off-the-cuff wing rather than a cog in the kick-chase machine
Zebo played in four of Ireland’s Six Nations encounters.
Fulfilling Joe Schmidt’s instructions brought Zebo his first professional medal but he prefers playing a more free-flowing style that allows him to best utilise his talents.
One French journalist says Zebo brings ‘speed, creativity and a bit of madness’ to the Irish team – he would like to be able to explore that more.
6. He would love to give sevens a proper go
We speculated a few weeks back about what an Irish sevens team would look like if frontline internationals could be used. We picked Zebo on the bench… something we neglected to mention in this interview.
7. His and Paddy Jackson’s epic lip-sync was filmed in one shot, Birdman style
Source: SuperSofa7/YouTube
The Ulsterman’s meticulous nature behind the camera ensured that the actors hit their cues perfectly. Birdman was lauded for using only a few camera shots and Jackson showed a dab hand at combining directing and acting duties.
8. Zebo takes his position as Irish rugby’s aficionado on rap music very seriously when it comes to recommending someone
There are so many videos of Zebo rapping that there was a bit of pressure on him to recommend a few good artists for the readers of The42.
He didn’t say it, but it was probably a feeling akin to walking out on the pitch to play England back in March.
9. Donnacha Ryan is out of touch (part 1)
Simon Zebo isn’t impressed with Donnacha Ryan’s taste in music or ability to bust a move. Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO
Zebo says music is his big passion outside of rugby so it’s no surprise that he’s quite dictatorial when it comes to who has control of the sound system in the Munster dressing room.
Another thing that isn’t a surprise is that Zebo has clashed with older members of the team around what artistic direction they should go in with regards to the sound that emits from the speakers.
10. Donnacha Ryan is out of touch (part 2)
‘Is it a cliché that all the forwards are lumps who can’t actually dance or are some of them surprisingly good?’
If you are an easily frightened Leinster fan, best not to look at Toulon’s team for SundayIt was Sonny Bill v Dan and Richie in New Zealand earlier and the result wasn’t even close