O'Drsicoll: Look out, Australia

Certain sections of the British press have been declaring O'Driscoll a definite starter for the Lions, but the powerful centre is happy to wait and see.

"The press can hype things up, and particularly with the 97 tour. Everyone goes over an equal, and you have to make an impression over there.

"There's no point in showing your form in your own country or in the Six Nations and then not performing when you go on tour.

"You have to impress the coach enough to pick you for the Test team," he said.

Rod Macqueen, the Australian coach, said on Friday that "this Lions squad is a complete squad. They don't lack anything in any position, and it is the best side that is ever going to go to Australia."

But O'Driscoll takes Macqueen's comments with a pinch of salt.

"As strong as a team might be, a coach that you're going to play against isn't going to come out with that unless he wants to toy with some journalists' heads.

"Obviously every team has a weakness here and there. There's no team that's a complete side, otherwise they'd be ruling the world.

"I think he's just trying to have a little fun and games. Different coaches have different methods, and I think that's Rod Macqueen's," O'Driscoll said.