Lions skipper Paul O'Connell is expecting a big challenge after his side got to work in South Africa © Getty Images

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Players/Officials: Warren Gatland | Paul O'Connell

Tournaments/Tours: British and Irish Lions tour

Teams: British and Irish Lions | South Africa

British & Irish Lions skipper Paul O'Connell will draw from experience as he prepares to lead his side against the World Champion Springboks - and his past brushes with South African sides have left him in no doubt as to how hard a task awaits his tourists.

With the Lions having touched down in South Africa and begun their training in Sandton, near Johannesburg, all eyes are currently on their opening fixture against a Royal XV in Rustenberg on Saturday. Soon enough the Tests will be upon O'Connell's men and he is sure that their underdog status confirms the huge challenge awaiting them.

"I played in South Africa for Irish Colleges in 1999, and I will never forget how big their players were, how fast and how skilful," he said. "Nothing had changed by the time I returned with Ireland five years later. They have a fiery passion about their rugby. We've arrived as massive underdogs - we know it, they know it.

"You play every game away, you are always in a hostile environment and you are charged with creating a (Lions) team out of players from varied cultures and playing styles. But once you take that on board, you know the Lions is the highest challenge. I've won the Heineken Cup with Munster, and with Ireland we've ended a 61-year wait for a Grand Slam. You celebrate, you cut loose for a bit, then you ask yourself 'that was great, but what's next up the ladder? What's the next challenge up there?' The answer for everyone here is being here.

"You know you are part of a marvellous tradition, but it is important to focus on the here and now. When your tour is done, you hope you have filled the Lions jersey, done it justice and gone the whole mile for it."

The Lions have put their pre-tour injury woes to one side and reported a clean bill of health as they prepare for their first game, with assistant coach Warren Gatland also pleased with how quickly the squad has begun to gel both on and off the field.

"I think we are a lot further forward than we expected to be after the first week," said Gatland. "We have been very pleased. The guys have picked up the calls really quickly, and they can't wait for Saturday to get the first game under their belt and hopefully get the tour off with a win. One of the good things is how open the players have been.

"If we can share ideas and share some information, I think it is going to help club rugby in the northern hemisphere, and international rugby as well. I think that's the way forward. Too often in the past we've been so closed and didn't share enough, so that has been the positive about the last 10 days. I am talking generally. When I was coaching Wasps it was about what Wasps did - we didn't share a lot of information.

"The only way to get better is to challenge yourself by sharing ideas and information and moving the game forward."