U2 FRONTMAN Bono has dropped in on Andy Farrell's Ireland squad on the eve of their Six Nations tie with England.
The rockstar reportedly gave the rugby stars something of a pep-talk at their hotel on Tuesday evening as the gear up for the match that could well decide the fate of the Championship on Sunday.
Farrell has been keen to encourage his players to be proud of their 'Irishness' and invited Dublin-born Bono, as well as former captain Paul O’Connell, to hammer home that message.
"[The idea] is to reiterate what it really means to be a proud Irishman," Farrell said. "I suppose it means a little bit different to each individual but just understanding the connection as a whole, not just to the people in Ireland, not just those at Twickenham but that live in the UK as well, what it means to families going over there."
Bono was a guest at the squad's hotel in Kildare and entertained the group with one of U2's famous tracks, although exactly which one remains to be seen (here's hoping it wasn't Vertigo).
At your service, Sir… and always at the service of a truly great Irish team…! Bono @JohnnySexton @IrishRugby pic.twitter.com/lhv2T4oKQg
— U2 (@U2) February 19, 2020
U2 posted a picture of their sunglasses-toting lead singer serving food to Ireland captain Johnny Sexton on their twitter account, captioning it: "At your service, Sir... and always at the service of a truly great Irish team!"
"He put real time and effort into it," said Farrell.
"First of all, we were blown away really that he gave his time up to come over and see us.
"We invited him in, he was top of the wish list, which was unbelievable really.
"He is quite a private person really but he put a lot of time and effort into being able to answer the questions from the floor in a great manner that we got something out of it.
"He is obviously a proud Irish man, so he talked a bit about Irishness."
With victory on Sunday, Ireland would secure the Triple Crown after beating Scotland and Wales in their opening two Six Nations fixtures.
The weekend's clash also sees Ireland boss Andy Farrell go toe-to-toe with his son and England captain Owen.
