Irvine, head coach Warren Gatland, operations director Guy Richardson and a number of other key staff members have just returned from their latest recce Down Under as the 10-match adventure draws ever closer.

The former Scotland full back, who remains the leading points scorer in Lions history, is confident that the I's have now been dotted and the T's have all been crossed in terms of the logistical requirements in the southern hemisphere.

"Overall, we're pretty pleased with our preparation. We're ready to go and we're now just looking for the players to put in good performances in the coming weeks," said Irvine.

"We checked out all the training venues, all the stadia and all the hotels and we made one or two adjustments. We changed a couple of the team-room arrangements within the hotels as Warren and his analysts had slightly different requirements, but most of what we had provisionally put in place we were able to firm up.

"We're 100 per cent committed now to the hotels and all the training venues that we've identified. We've also got a plan B in place for all the training venues depending on the weather conditions because when we were there back in June, some of them were in a pretty poor state as it had been it a particularly wet period.

"We've identified our preferred venues but, if when we get out there some of them are a lot wetter than would be ideal, we've got alternatives as well. In that sense, the preparation is very well advanced and quite meticulous."

Andy Irvine and Warren Gatland checked out all the Aussie stadia, including AAMI Park in Melbourne

One area of preparation that Irvine can't quite account for, however, is the form and fitness of potential Lions tourists.

The brutal nature of the modern game and the length of the domestic season means anxious times lie ahead despite the hard work that has already gone into ensuring that the latest pride of Lions have all the support they need to secure a first series win since 1997.

"Warren is of the view that we're certainly ahead of where we were in 2009," added Irvine, who was alongside Gatland at the Millennium Stadium as Ireland beat Wales last Saturday.

"From a preparation point of the view, the main concern I have is that a lot of our players are likely to be involved in the Aviva Premiership and RaboDirect PRO12 finals, as well as the Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup finals, and we'll have a very short turnaround after those games to get the players medically checked and then on the plane out to Australia.

"That would be my only concern, that a number of them will be playing right up until the last second before we leave."