Ireland legend was his usual affable self until I queried Alan Quinlan's place in the Lions squad to tour South Africa this summer.
Did the Munster man deserve to get the nod over young England flanker Tom Croft, I asked. And is he there because he's regarded as a good tourist who can help the players bond off the pitch, as the Lions management suggested after announcing their squad at Heathrow last week.
"If you only wanted people who were a , you might as well bring a couple of comedians on tour," bristled Lenihan, who has known Quinlan since the player joined Munster in 1996.
"People see Alan as the court jester, but he is a ruthless player and will be a match for anyone in South Africa."
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It's not often you hear an international coach refer to a player's sense of humour when justifying a controversial selection.
The Lions are unique though, and Warren Gatland's appraisal of the qualities will bring to the 37-man touring party sounded plausible.
"The thing we have stressed a lot as coaches is to make sure we have got characters in the team, people who are good on and off the field," the Lions forwards coach explained.
"Alan is a great personality, he brings a sense of humour and is tough and experienced - just the sort of person we're looking for."
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Although 25 years have since passed, still recoils as he recalls his first punch from Mike Tyson.
The Irishman had just been recruited as a sparring partner for the young star, who was already being touted as a future world heavyweight champion.
At first, Egan couldn't understand what all the hype was about.
"When I saw Mike, I was sure I could beat him," Egan told me. "We were both 17 and he was shorter and had less reach than me."
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If Jonny Wilkinson does , he can't be accused of a lack of loyalty.
The England icon has been a one-club man since making his debut for the Falcons as an 18-year-old centre in 1997.
Some, like former international team-mate Lawrence Dallaglio, have questioned such devotion.
True, Newcastle have also shown great loyalty to a player ravaged by injury, Dallaglio admits. But
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As I write this, Amr Zaki still hasn't returned to Wigan after apparently injuring his hamstring .
I use the word "apparently" because the club has not been able to see the Egyptian FA's scan of the injury, let alone carry out its own assessment of the player.
The 26-year-old was supposed to report back to the club's last Tuesday, which Mido, who had also played against Zambia, duly did.
Zaki's agent says the striker is eager to sign a permanent deal at Wigan when his loan from Egyptian side finishes at the end of the season.
If this is true, he's certainly got a funny way of trying to impress Latics boss Steve Bruce.
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If managerial success is measured by the number of zeros on your bank balance, then the last few years have been a triumph for Sven-Goran Eriksson.
After being sacked by Mexico last week, the Swede was given his .
Yet his CV suggests a once-glittering career is going off the rails. Eriksson was fired after just 10 months with Mexico, .
The Swede is now eager to embark on a "project" at an ambitious club in the Premier League, according to his right-hand man .
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I'm a sports news reporter and write about most sports, but especially football, rugby union and cricket. I'll try and give you some insight into the stories setting the agenda in this blog. You can also follow me on .
