Brian O’Driscoll is expected to be one of three Irish players to start against the Wallabies.

Brian O’Driscoll is virtually a certainty to start the first test against the Wallabies on Saturday. His Irish teammates Paul O’Connell and Jonathan Sexton appear to be the only other definite starters.

O’Driscoll has been in cotton wool for over a week now having been overlooked for both the Waratahs and Brumbies tour matches.

An injury to prospective first pick centre Jamie Roberts only made O’Driscoll’s selection more certain.

Brisbane holds fond memories for the Irish star.

He made his international debut at the city’s former home of rugby –Ballymore – as a fresh-faced 20-year-old almost exactly 14 years ago.

Two years later, he returned as part of the British and Irish Lions squad and scored a memorable try in the first test against the Wallabies.

The Lions went on to win the test, but not the series.

O’Driscoll’s last visit to Brisbane ended in defeat as the Wallabies overcame an injury-depleted Irish team back in 2010.

But the 34-year-old, who will retire next year, will be desperate to add a Lions series victory to his impressive resumé.

Also at short odds to start the test will be Paul O’Connell who has been most impressive on tour so far.

This will also be the Munster giant’s final bow in Australia and he will be desperate to return home a winner.

Jonathan Sexton looks like the only other definite Irish starter for the first test.

The out-half was most impressive against the Waratahs, scoring a try and delivering quick ball to his outside backs by hand and foot.

Apart from O’Driscoll, O’Connell and Sexton, Irish rugby fans will be hoping that Jamie Heaslip might also make the starting XV.

The Irish skipper has been very impressive on tour but coach Warren Gatland has many options for the back row and not even Lions captain Sam Warburton can be sure of his place.

Sean O’Brien, Simon Zebo, Conor Murray, Rory Best and Rob Kearney are all outside chances for the first XV but may be named on the bench for the crucial first test.

Jamie Clarke’s Armagh will host Wicklow on June 30. Picture: Adrian Melia

The clash of Jamie Clarke’s Armagh and Harry Murphy’s Wicklow is the pick of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship qualifiers from the Round 1 draw.

Armagh were easily brushed aside by a resurrected Cavan in Ulster, but they will be favourites to get the better of a Wicklow side who were in no way disgraced by Meath at Aughrim on Saturday, especially with home advantage on their side.

Elsewhere, Offaly will look to build on their solid showing in defeat to Kildare when they host Tyrone. The Red Hands put it up to All-Ireland champions Donegal in a narrow defeat in Ulster, and they will fancy their chances of overcoming tricky opposition in the Faithful County.

Galway, meanwhile, will look to bounce back from the mauling they took at the hands of neighbours Mayo in Connacht when they host Tipperary, while Derry should have enough to see off a Sligo side still stinging from their shock defeat to London.

Westmeath will have a job on their hands to get the better of a Fermanagh side that impressed in patches against Cavan on Sunday, while Louth should also have the requisite quality to handle Antrim on home soil.

Longford and Limerick is a trickier one to call, but home advantage should see the Leinster side across the line, while Laois will be red-hot favourites to see off Leinster neighbours Carlow.

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Qualifiers dates and times ::

Friday, June 28
Carlow v Laois, Dr. Cullen Park, 7.45pm

Saturday, June 29
Longford v Limerick, Glennon Brothers Pearse Park, 7pm
Galway v Tipperary, Pearse Stadium, 7pm

Sunday, June 30
Armagh v Wicklow, Athletic Grounds, 3pm
Derry v Sligo, Owenbeg, 5pm

Saturday, June 29/Sunday, June 30
Offaly v Tyrone, O’Connor Park, Tullamore, TBC
Louth v Antrim, Drogheda, TBC
Westmeath v Fermanagh, Cusack Park, Mullingar, TBC

*Full fixture details for the final three ties will be confirmed on Monday, June 24 once Hurling Phase 1 teams are confirmed.

Lions captain for the night Rory Best shows his disappointment after the defeat by the Brumbies in Canberra.

British and Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland conceded his side “got what they deserved” after seeing their unbeaten tour record disappear in a disappointing showing against the Brumbies.

Just four days before the opening Test against Australia, the Lions went down 14-12 at Canberra Stadium to bring an end to their five-match winning streak.

Gatland told Sky Sports 1: “There’s no excuses, first-half performance wasn’t good enough and we got what we deserved.

“It’s just disappointing. In fairness to the Brumbies they played well, put us under pressure at the breakdown.”

The Lions trailed 8-3 at the break after struggling in the first half but they put on a better showing in the second half to get themselves back into contention before falling just short.

Gatland said: “I was disappointed with the intensity of the first half, I thought we were much better in the second half. We just weren’t quite good enough.

“We made a few changes, gave them a bit of a rocket at half-time and I thought we were much better in the second half. We seemed a little bit flat out there in the first half, played too much rugby in our own half and we probably needed to play a little bit smarter. “It was a pretty tight game and there weren’t a lot of opportunities.”

Looking ahead to the weekend and the opening Test, Gatland said: “Lots of players will be disappointed but we just need to take it on the chin and start focusing on Saturday.”

Hooker Rory Best, the Lions captain today, pulled no punches as he assessed his side’s performance, admitting they had been nervy and outfought up front by a Brumbies side that he said showed much more hunger than the tourists.

“We got physically beaten up up front, they put a lot of pressure on the set-piece and we got a bit nervy, and all credit to the Brumbies they were hungrier than us right across the board,” Best said.

“We were feeling very confident, we knew it was going to be a tough task but we just didn’t turn up tonight. Right from the very off they just wanted it more, they took their chances and you have to give them massive credit.”

Best also refused to use the changes made to the Lions XV as a reason for the performance, saying: “I don’t think we’re looking for excuses, we brought in quality players. When you looked across the team we had a quality team, we just got beaten up at the breakdown tonight. “We definitely got nervy. At this level if you can’t secure that ball you’re always going to be under pressure.

“The forwards will stand up and take a lot of the heat, and deservedly so.” The Irishman added: “We let our standards drop tonight and it’ll be up to the 15 and 23 guys picked this weekend to raise those again.

“We didn’t want to lose the momentum that we’ve gained on the tour, but we’ve done that and now we have to dust ourselves down and see where we go from here.”

The Lions had a night to forget in Canberra. (Pic: PA)

Brumbies 14
Lions 12 

The Lions lost their unbeaten tour record just four days before tackling Australia after Jake White’s Brumbies deservedly triumphed at Canberra Stadium.

In doing so, they became the first Australian provincial side since Queensland 42 years ago to silence the Lions’ roar.

And there could be few realistic complaints from the visitors, who were outgunned up front for an hour before coach Warren Gatland summoned reinforcements off the bench.

Centre Tevita Kuridrani struck early for the game’s only try, while Brumbies full-back Jesse Mogg kicked three penalties. The Lions, who were always behind, managed two Stuart Hogg penalties and two Owen Farrell strikes.

Hogg twice saw penalties hit the post, but a new-look three-quarter line of Christian Wade, Brad Barritt, Billy Twelvetrees and 36-year-old Shane Williams featured in a team that looked devoid of quality preparation time.

The backs were powerless at times, having to scamper and retreat as a disorganised and mistake-riddled Lions pack performance helped the Brumbies eight dominate.

Gatland will not be alarmed ahead of the first Test in Brisbane – his Test players were wrapped in cotton wool today – but hopes of an invincible tour are now over.

They fell behind inside five minutes after Williams – the oldest back to play for the Lions in history – had an early chance to show his pace, but the Brumbies cleared and put together a sustained passage of attacking play.

And it ended with Kuridrani barging through the attempted challenge of Wade and Rob Kearney to score a try that underlined how big a task the Lions faced.

It was the first time the Lions had been behind in a game since they trailed Queensland Reds 10 days ago and they were not helped by a malfunctioning lineout, with skipper Rory Best’s erratic throwing a problem.

The Lions should have opened their account midway through the half, but Hogg saw a straightforward penalty chance bounce back off a post and the Brumbies escaped.

The Brumbies were content to play things tight and use their ball-carrying forwards, although the Lions had a fleeting opportunity when Williams jinked clear but was harshly ruled to have had a foot in touch.

Mogg then sent a 52-metre penalty just wide after Lions prop Ryan Grant was whistled by French referee Jerome Garces for offside, and the Lions still could not get going.

The forwards continued to struggle for quality possession, which meant a difficult opening 40 minutes for half-backs Hogg and Ben Youngs, and a first defeat on tour beckoned unless they could raise their game.

But Mogg made it 8-0 with a penalty on the stroke of half-time and despite Hogg responding, the Lions could have few complaints.

They began the second period with a greater sense of purpose and it took some organised defence to keep him out, but then the Lions’ familiar problems surfaced.

A botched lineout led to a Brumbies break-out and when flanker Sean O’Brien was penalised for not rolling away, another successful Mogg kick restored an eight-point advantage.

The Lions continued to concede a ridiculous number of turnovers and with their set-piece not functioning, there was very little a hastily-assembled back division could do.

Grant conceded another penalty, this time for foul play, and Mogg completed his penalty hat-trick before a second Hogg strike kept the Lions in it.

Changes that had long been expected arrived midway through the second half when Gatland sent on a new front row of Alex Corbisiero, Richard Hibbard and Dan Cole, with flanker Dan Lydiate replacing O’Brien.

The Lions desperately needed some impetus after misfiring for much of the game, and Gatland decided with 18 minutes remaining that it was time for Farrell to replace Hogg as playmaker.

And his first contribition was to kick an angled penalty that brought the Lions back within a try of levelling up a game they had played second fiddle in for so long.

Another Farrell penalty made it 14-12, setting up a tense final nine minutes as the Brumbies tired and the Lions substitutes continued upping the ante, but it was ultimately all to no avail.

Competition for a first Test place is “savage”, according to Paul O’Connell. (Pic: PA)

Paul O’Connell believes there is “savage competition” for places in the British and Irish Lions squad as the countdown continues towards next Saturday’s first Test against Australia.

The Lions are in Canberra for an appointment with the Brumbies tomorrow, which will be their final game before tackling Robbie Deans’ Wallabies in Brisbane.

Ireland lock O’Connell, who is on his third Lions tour, is widely expected to forge the Test second-row partnership alongside Welshman Alun-Wyn Jones.

But the 33-year-old is taking nothing for granted ahead of what should be his seventh Test match appearance in Lions colours.

“Every tour has been different,” said O’Connell, who was part of the 2005 squad whitewashed by New Zealand and then captained the Lions in South Africa four years ago

“The dressing-room is a lot quieter than on previous tours. There isn’t a hell of a lot of talk coming up to games. There is no bravado or talk.

“There is savage competition for places, and guys are very eager to play as well as they can individually.

“I think if you look at the back-line and the way the backs have been playing it’s certainly a step up. Forwards-wise, I think we’ve performed really well as well.

“We’ve carried well, done well at the breakdown at times and it’s as good as any team I’ve been on, but you don’t really know until you get to the Tests.

“I was on the tour in 2005, and to this day it’s still probably the toughest rugby experience of my life.

“I had this big expectation of what a Lions Tour was going to be. Unfortunately, I didn’t play well. A lot of us didn’t play well, and it was a very tough place to be after the tour.

“2009 was a little different, but at the same time it was a missed opportunity. For a lot of guys it’s like the World Cup. It’s your shot at forever, that kind of thing.”

The Lions will chase a sixth successive tour win tomorrow, having so far amassed 261 points and 33 tries Down Under. It is form that has seen them installed as Test series favourites by many pundits.

But O’Connell knows Australia will be fierce opponents.

“We’ve a very tough three weeks ahead of us. Australia are a really good side, they have a lot of incredibly talented players and the next three weeks will be really tough and will be a lot different to what we’ve experienced (so far) in terms of intensity and physicality. It will be a big step up for us.”

Lions team doctor James Robson today delivered contrasting medical updates on Wales backs Jamie Roberts and George North ahead of next Saturday’s first Test match appointment with Australia in Brisbane.

Centre Roberts limped off during Saturday’s 47-17 victory against the New South Wales Waratahs, suffering a hamstring strain.

Wing North, though, is well on the way back following a hamstring problem. He resumed running as the Lions completed preparations for their game against the Brumbies in Canberra tomorrow.

“Jamie is a grave doubt for this weekend, there is no doubt about that,” Robson said.

“You only had to see how much discomfort he was in at the weekend.

“However, further assessment will be made later in the week as to his availability going forward.

“He has tweaked his hamstring. He has a strain. He got his leg extended, someone came down and flexed his back. It is unfortunate.”

North, who was yesterday rated as “less than 50-50″ by Lions head coach Warren Gatland to be available this week, continues to make positive strides.

Robson added: “He (North) is an exceptional character and has worked really hard. He is back to running today.

“An accurate assessment on his availability for selection will take place on Wednesday. At the moment, I think he is doing very well and has a great chance of being fit for this week.

“We wouldn’t allow him to play if there was any significant risk. We will only return him to the coaches for selection if we are confident that medically he is fine.”

British and Irish Lions team to play the ACT Brumbies in Canberra on Tuesday:

R Kearney; C Wade, B Barritt, B Twelvetrees, S Williams; S Hogg, B Youngs; R Grant, R Best (capt), M Stevens, I Evans, R Gray, S O’Brien, J Tipuric, T Faletau.

Replacements: R Hibbard, A Corbisiero, D Cole, G Parling, D Lydiate, C Murray, O Farrell, S Zebo.

Jonny Sexton celebrates after scoring the first try for the British and Irish Lions against the NSW Waratahs in Sydney.

Warren Gatland saluted his players for their “absolutely fantastic” discipline after the British and Lions warmed up for next week’s first Test showdown against Australia with another crushing win.

The Lions’ 47-17 demolition of New South Wales Waratahs – helped by a 30-point haul from Leigh Halfpenny – made it five successive victories on tour.

They have scored 261 points and 33 tries on tour, and it is now all systems go to meet the Wallabies in Brisbane next Saturday.

Apart from posting five touchdowns, the Lions also found themselves the subject of some particularly close attention, especially half-backs Jonathan Sexton and Mike Phillips, who were effectively man-marked at times.

But the Lions kept their composure, and it would have been almost a perfect 80 minutes had centre Jamie Roberts not suffered a late leg injury that could make him doubtful for Brisbane.

“We got what we expected,” Lions head coach Gatland said. “The Waratahs talked about taking it to us physically. They tried to do that, and I thought our guys responded to that physicality. In the end, we were just too big and powerful.

“The big key in this game was keeping our discipline. It would have been easy enough for someone to be taken late, then lose their head and throw a punch, it to be picked up and then cited. “I thought our discipline was absolutely fantastic. There were little shoulders and charges and guys being taken late and stuff. That’s part of rugby, people try to unsettle you a little bit, and we’ve got to accept that.

“It is how you respond to that sort of niggle, and I thought our guys were brilliant at it. They were a credit to the Lions and wearing that jersey because there was some provocation out there.

“We felt there has been a little bit of off-the-ball stuff in the first couple of games, but we said we were not going to bitch and moan about it.

“We are not going to get involved in any accusations against the opposition. We want to go out there and play some hard, physical rugby.”

Roberts departed the action 10 minutes from time, which meant the Lions ending with 14 men as Gatland had already used his full complement of substitutes.

“Even when we were down to 14 men, I thought we controlled the game without being under too much pressure,” Gatland added.

Mayo boss James Horan is expecting Roscommon to test his side to its limits.

Roscommon have the firepower to derail Mayo’s bid for a hat-trick of Connacht SFC titles this Sunday, according to the reigning provincial champions’ boss James Horan.

Last year’s All-Ireland runners-up take on the Rossies this Sunday (Live from 12.50am EST on Setanta Sports), and Horan believes they will provide a stiffer test than Galway did in the previous round.

“We did our stuff against Galway, we prepared well and showed good intent,” Horan said. “Galway didn’t have their greatest day and it ran out an easy win in the end, which is always dangerous for a team. We haven’t felt the real heat of the Championship yet, and I’m sure Roscommon will try and bring that.

“We are a team with a lot of ability and ambition, and we prepared that way for the Galway game. It’s a platform for us to build on.

“Roscommon will have a lot of plans in place as a result of that, so we need to make sure we springboard from the Galway game and use it to keep progressing.

“We’d be familiar with Roscommon and how they are set up under John Evans. In a lot of their games in Division 3, they conceded very low scores. They are a hard team to play against.”

In Sunday’s other live televised game, Cavan will look to build on their impressive win over Armagh when they face down Fermanagh in Enniskillen (Live on Setanta from 10.30pm EST).

But the hosts are hoping to produce more than just a shock – they have their sights set on an Ulster title.

“We are hoping to win an Ulster championship,” captain Ryan McCluskey said.

“It’s something that’s haunted our county for so long, the fact that there have been no major honours and no bigger one than the Ulster title and it would be just brilliant.

“It would be awesome to right the wrongs of our previous Ulster final defeats and push on for that medal.”

Elsewhere, the clash of Meath and Wicklow in the Leinster SFC will be shown as-live on Setanta Sports from 3.45am EST on Sunday morning.

Simon Zebo in action for Munster during the Heineken Cup. (Pic: PA)

Irish wing Simon Zebo will make his British and Irish Lions debut against the Waratahs on Saturday.

Munster’s Zebo joined the Lions squad on Tuesday as cover for Tommy Bowe, after taking part in Ireland’s defeat of the USA.

The Lions enter their fifth match of the tour unbeaten following wins against the Barbarians in Hong Kong, Western Force, Queensland Reds and Combined Country.

Tour captain Sam Warburton will lead the team, while Rob Kearney will make his first appearance of the tour on the bench after recovering from a leg injury that precluded him from selection until now.

Jonny Sexton, Paul O’Connell and Jamie Heaslip will also start for the Lions at Allianz Stadium.

“It would be great to remain unbeaten and take that momentum into the first Test,” said Lions coach Warren Gatland.

“However, more importantly we are looking to finalise key playing combinations and strengthen our patterns of play during the next two matches.

“This match, the fourth of our lead-up matches in Australia, will assist in this process. To beat the Waratahs we know we have to improve on our strong performance last Saturday against the Reds. This side is more than capable of doing that,” he said.

The Waratahs are set to be reinforced for Saturday’s clash.

Waratahs captain Dave Dennis and centre Rob Horne have both been released from the Wallabies’ Sunshine Coast pre-Test series training camp.

And two players from the Brumbies – prop Scott Sio and utility forward Peter Kimlin – will be available for next Tuesday’s appointment with the Lions in Canberra.

Wallabies coach Robbie Deans will now see the quartet gain playing time – and exposure to the Lions – before they rejoin the Test squad next week.

The Waratahs have been further boosted by Australia sevens internationals Bernard Foley and Matt Lucas being released from sevens duty.

Waratahs head coach Michael Cheika will announce his team tomorrow to face the Lions.
British and Irish Lions tram to play NSW Waratahs, June 12, Sydney
15. Leigh Halfpenny (Cardiff Blues/Wales)
14. Sean Maitland (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland)
13. Jonathan Davies (Scarlets/Wales)
12. Jamie Roberts (Cardiff Blues/Wales)
11. Simon Zebo (Munster/Ireland)
10. Jonathan Sexton (Leinster/Ireland)
9. Mike Phillips (Bayonne/Wales)
1. Mako Vunipola (Saracens/England)
2. Tom Youngs (Leicester Tigers/England)
3. Adam Jones (Ospreys/Wales)
4. Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys/Wales)
5. Paul O’Connell (Munster/Ireland)
6. Tom Croft (Leicester Tigers/England)
7. Sam Warburton (Cardiff Blues/Wales, capt)
8. Jamie Heaslip (Leinster/Ireland)

Replacements
16. Richard Hibbard (Ospreys/Wales)
17. Alex Corbisiero (London Irish/England)
18. Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers/England)
19. Geoff Parling (Leicester Tigers/England)
20. Dan Lydiate (Dragons/Wales)
21. Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers/England)
22. Owen Farrell (Saracens/England)
23. Rob Kearney (Leinster/Ireland)

NSW Waratahs assistant coach Alan Gaffney has watched Jonny Sexton’s rise through the ranks.

He’s Australian by birth, but having spent the best part of ten years in Ireland as head coach for Munster and backs coach for Leinster and Ireland, Alan Gaffney is as close to Irish as you’ll get.

His involvement with both provincial teams and in the national set-up means he’s coached most of Ireland’s top players. And if you ask what British and Irish Lions player he believes will have most influence on the touring side’s quest to clinch the first title since 1997, it’s a player he’s seen rise to the top of the pecking order  – Jonathan Sexton.

“I’ve got all the time in the world for Johnny,” Gaffney says.

“I would have thought he would have been one of the first backs picked for the Lions. Owen Farrell (English out-half) is there and his dad is a very good friend of mine but I just think that Johnny is so far advanced of all the other tens or guys who could potentially play at ten.”

Gaffney says it will take some time for the 27-year-old to adjust his game style to work with that of Welsh “specimens” Jonathan Davies and Jamie Roberts.

Both are approaching 17 stone and measure up to 6’1” and 6’4” respectively. The Leinster man who is bound for Racing Metro in France next season is used to playing alongside the more compact Brian O’Driscoll and Gordon D’Arcy.

“When you look at Jamie Roberts, he’s a very, very good player. He’s an excellent player but very different to D’Arcy who is particularly skillful. D’Arcy’s a small man, he does wonderful things with the ball and is very skillful ball in hand. Jamie Roberts is a bigger guy, who does have a lot of skill, don’t get me wrong, but just not to the same level as D’Arcy. Roberts is a much bigger specimen and he’s going to be very hard for the Aussies to handle.”

However, Gaffney is hoping  Sexton will spend a significant amount of time playing alongside Brian O’Driscoll, who has captained the touring side twice in their warm-up games.

“Brian deserves his selection on this tour, that’s for sure. I sincerely hope that Drico starts in the test matches and I’d love that to be the case because if he does it will make it so much easier for Johnny (Sexton).”

The last time Gaffney spoke to O’Driscoll was after Ireland’s ill-fated World Cup quarter final against Wales.

“One of the things Brian said that day was “thanks for everything”. And I said to him that day, ‘Mate, you’ve taught me more than I’ve taught you’. And I really believe that. I’ve learned a lot off him and not just on the rugby pitch but also as a gentleman and as a person. I just can’t say enough about him.”

Gaffney’s loyalty to Ireland is clear which makes it even more difficult for him to deliver his series prediction. In short it’s one that Irish fans won’t like. He is reluctant to admit that he believes the Wallabies will defeat the British and Irish Lions. But there are conditions attached.

His 2-1 forecast in favour of the home side is dependent on Kurtley Beale’s involvement –  fact confirmed after our interview.

The Wallabies omitted Beale from their initial squad due to a string of midemeanours in Melbourne but he has been given a late reprieve by Robbie Deans.

“If Australia pick Kurtley at ten and they pick a backline that can attack, I think they’ll win. I hope and I trust it will go down to the wire but I’d have to pick Autralia to win 2-1,” he says.

“I’ve got the utmost respect for Kurtley. In my opinion he would be the best ten that Australia could put out there. That’s in my opinion. At this point in time he’s an outstanding player, he adds an enormous amount to the team and I just think Kurtley is a person who has got the ability to control the game at ten. I think James O’Connor (Melbourne Rebels out-half) is a good player, there’s no doubt about that but if you ask me who the ten should be I’d say Kurtley.”

Despite picking the Wallabies to win the series, Gaffney says the Australian media has vastly underestimated the touring side. Labelled as “slabs of meat”, Gaffney insists that theory is uneducated.

“I just don’t think that the people who wrote that stuff have much idea what they’re talking about. I think the squad they’ve picked is a very strong squad. Probably when you sat there and looked at it all you couldn’t really disagree with any of the selections. Obviously guys like Chris Robshaw (English captain) and a few others could have a bit of grief in the fact they’ve not been selected but then again what they’ve picked, those guys justify the decision to be selected.”

The aforementioned Robshaw’s omission was the source of much glee for Australian commentators who revelled in the fact that the English skipper had missed out. The intense rivalry with England is one that Gaffney also enjoyed during his time in Ireland.

“When I was over in Ireland it was fantastic, you didn’t have to get the players up to play England. In my final year there England were playing for the Grand Slam and we beat them easily in Lansdowne Road.

“And I still call it Lansdowne Road, I know I shouldn’t but I love it. But I also see that (rivalry) here. There’s a great hate relationship with the English.”

Sean O’Brien is expecting the Waratahs to put on an aggressive display on Saturday.

Sean O’Brien anticipates his former Leinster boss Michael Cheika sending out a fired-up New South Wales Waratahs team against the British and Irish Lions on Saturday.

It promises to be tough challenge for Cheika, given that he is without 10 players currently in the Australia camp preparing for next week’s first Test and a further six on the injured list.

”I know ‘Cheiks’ very well with him being at Leinster,” said Lions flanker O’Brien.

”He is an animated character as well, so I am sure he will have them fired up and wanting to be really aggressive and come hard at us. We are getting closer and closer to the Test games, and teams are going to try and come at us a little bit harder. The Waratahs will be no different.

”It’s going to be a very tough game, and whatever side is picked for the Lions we are going to have our hands full at the start of the game again. They are really going to come at us out of the blocks and try and hurt us a little bit, so it’s going to be massively intense again,” he said.

The Lions travelled by road two hours down the coast from Newcastle – scene of yesterday’s 64-0 victory over a Combined Country XV – to Sydney yesterday, where they were greeted by leaden skies and pouring rain.

Head coach Warren Gatland will today name his starting line-up for the Waratahs encounter. Some previous Lions coaches have used the final Saturday game before the first international to give the probable Test side a run-out, but it is not thought Gatland will go entirely down that route.

The back-row and second-row combinations remain fiercely contested, although his potential Test three-quarter line of Alex Cuthbert, Brian O’Driscoll, Jamie Roberts and George North all played yesterday.

Asked if he expected the Test team to feature this weekend, O’Brien added: ”Your guess is as good as mine. I don’t think so, but who knows?

”Every week you could say is this the Test team? But it is all up in the air in every position, and we are just trying to do our own jobs and keep the head down and the coaches will pick the Test side when it comes to it.

”It’s getting towards the business end of it, and it is exciting.”

O’Brien could find himself in the Test back-row mix, although a bench role looks more likely, given his ability to cover both flanker roles and number eight.

He featured at blindside against the Country XV, with in-form Welshman Justin Tipuric wearing the number seven shirt, and O’Brien can realistically expect one more outing before the Test team is unveiled.

”I dropped a ball in the second half in their 22, but other than that I was happy enough,” he said, reflecting on his performance.

”I did what I had to do, job-wise, and kept working to the very end. We made life difficult at times for ourselves in the second half. There were a couple of errors, we were a bit sloppy and we went away from the game-plan.

”We’ve set ourselves standards over the last couple of weeks, and we have to maintain those. There is stuff to work on, but that is the case every week.”