O'Connell basks in the sunshine following his official appointment as captain of the 2009 British & Irish Lions © Getty Images

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Teams: Ireland

British & Irish Lions captain Paul O'Connell has revealed how he inadvertently did his best to avoid the all-important phone call from head coach Ian McGeechan.

The Munster lock will become the 10th Irishman to skipper the elite tourists when he leads them to South Africa this summer but he risked giving the McGeechan the brush off by ignoring his calls in the belief they were from an English salesman.

The 29-year-old, who heads a record 14-strong contingent supplied by the Six Nations Grand Slam winners, finally picked up the call but then feared it was a prank by his Munster team mates.

"I had a few missed calls last Monday night," O'Connell told reporters. "They were from an English number but for the last few weeks I'd had a guy phoning me on an English number trying to sell me shares.

"I was avoiding the call but saw the number again at 8.55 on the Tuesday morning. I rang it back and it was Geech but still wasn't certain - Brian Carney and Frankie Sheahan are always making crank calls. Once I was sure of the accent, we had a chat and he asked me to be captain. The accent was too good to be a hoax - I've sat in with the lads on one of their crank calls and their accents aren't the best."

O'Connell edged out his compatriot, and national skipper, Brian O'Driscoll in the all-Irish race for the captaincy but he expects nothing but support from his Leinster rival in South Africa.

"Being made captain ahead of Brian O'Driscoll isn't going to cause any problems between him and me," added O'Connell. "Whenever I have played under Brian O'Driscoll I have said nothing more or less than I would have done had I been captain. I've spoken to Brian and he's cool about it. As far as I'm, concerned, the more people who have an input, who drive things on, the more successful we will be."

McGeechan broke with tradition by also phoning O'Driscoll to explain his decision. "I've always respected Brian and I think he deserved that phone call," he said.

Following his appointment, O'Connell immediately set his sights on repeating the feat of legendary Lions captains Willie John McBride and Martin Johnson who led the tourists to series victories in South Africa in 1974 and 1997 respectively.

"When you look at the captains who have gone before, they are legends of the game and this is an incredible thing for me. But now it is about winning on tour. Winning the series would be incredible. It is not something that happens very often, so it makes the achievement all the more special.

"When you look at the players who won in South Africa in 1997 they are legends now. To achieve that in South Africa against the world champions would be an amazing achievement."

"I don't really know Martin that well. In 1997, I was 17 and very impressionable. I watched him on that tour and playing for England," recalled O'Connell. "I thought he was a fabulous player. The way he led the Lions in 1997 was something to be admired and learned from." The tour to South Africa will be O'Connell's second trip with the Lions following a harsh lesson at the hands of the All Blacks four years ago and he is expecting a similar test later this year.

"This is my second tour and I learned a lot of things in 2005. The players really have to front up on this tour. We had a lot of excuses in New Zealand in 2005. Those excuses aren't going to be there on the 2009 tour. We have to front up and produce the goods, which is something we didn't do four years ago. It is down to the players to take this tour by the scruff of the neck.

"It is going to be an immensely difficult challenge. The Springboks are the world champions, but then that's what makes it all the more exciting. South Africa have got a fabulous side. They are immensely disciplined - you only have to look at their performances in the Rugby World Cup to see that. They are a top class side who aren't champions of the world for nothing.

"There are so many obstacles in our way, and so many challenges ahead of us, but that's what makes this tour so special."