The Ireland star arrived in the Republic with the rest of his Lions team-mates this morning having made light of the shoulder injury he sustained in Leinster’s Heineken Cup Final win over Leicester on Saturday.

The 2005 Lions skipper had his tour to New Zealand ended prematurely after damaging his shoulder in the first Test against the All Blacks and there were plenty of worried faces after O’Driscoll was seen nursing his shoulder during the second half of Leinster’s historic European triumph.

"You get 'stingers' and that sort of thing in games - I've had a few of them," said O'Driscoll, who is making his third successive tour as a Lion having starred as a 22-year-old when the Lions faced the Wallabies eight years ago.

"It's just a matter of managing it and treating it in the best possible way and getting yourself ready for the Saturday, because not too many Test matches or other games are won on a Monday.

"I've been struggling a little with a bit of nerve trouble on that side. It will take a little bit of mind endurance but it will be okay."

Having led Ireland to Grand Slam glory and now tasted European success with his home-town province O’Driscoll admits he joins the Lions on a real high.

Now he has just one more goal to achieve this summer and it comes in the shape of a so-far elusive series victory with Britain and Ireland’s elite.

"Confidence is a massive component in a player's mindset," added O'Driscoll.

"To lift the Heineken Cup with your pals after 10 years of trying made it my most satisfying win ever, more even than the Grand Slam. We've got a very tight group at Leinster and that was the prize I wanted above all.

"And the way I feel now I don't see any reason why the Lions can't win the Test series, difficult though it will be.

"I am very motivated, and the goal is to try to win a Test series and to be a part of that. It is not about being involved in the squad or touring South Africa and having a great time - it is about winning a Test series, that's the bottom line.

"Certainly, we should have won that series in 2001, and the more I look back on it the more regretful I am about it. You realise how tough series wins are to grasp against one of the three big nations in the world."