Sam Warburton passes the ball during the Lions training session in Sydney © Getty Images

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British & Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland has warned captain Sam Warburton that he is not guaranteed a starting place in the Test XV if his form does not warrant it.

"I have been 100% consistent from day one," Gatland said ahead of the weekend's match against New South Wales Waratahs. "It's about picking the best players. I haven't changed that tune, and Sam is well aware of that. I thought he had a good blow-out last week against the Reds, he got a couple of good turnovers, and we will see what happens on Saturday.

"We've far from made up our mind on the loose forward options. There are a huge amount of combinations, they are all fit and have all done well. That is going to be one of the headaches and the next couple of games will determine that [selection].

"The performance on Saturday is important for Sam, and Jamie [Heaslip] and Tom [Croft] as well. You look at Sean O'Brien's carrying the other night, we know he can play seven as well, then you look at the talent and ability Tom brings. The two eights [Heaslip and Toby Faletau] are different types of players as well. It is going to be a long night making that final decision."

Warburton, who has only played the last two games after recovering from injury, gave no indication of being concerned. "The more game time I have the better I tend to play, and the more I pick up the feel for the contact area and the speed of the game," he said. "Last weekend was a good run-out for the lungs and I was obviously very familiar playing with Dan [Lydiate] and Toby [Faletau], but I am looking forward to playing with Tom and Jamie now.

"Tom has been awesome at line-out time in training, and Jamie has been great in attack as a ball-carrier. You want to come on Lions tours to play with different combinations but no-one is reading anything into this selection. There is still a lot to prove and a couple of games to play."

Lions assistant coach Graham Rowntree had nothing but praise for Warburton following the team's latest training session at North Sydney Oval. "I have been very impressed with Sam," he said . "He is very professional. He is certainly not showing any signs of stress or pressure.

"Like all the other players, he goes about his business. I have been really impressed with him as a person. He is a doer, and a lot of guys are following his lead in terms of his attitude to training, his diligence. It is not getting any easier in terms of selection. There are a lot of guys putting their hands up.

"We will get tomorrow out of the way, and then Tuesday (against the Brumbies), and then we will pick a Test team. That is the truth."