Ireland's new skipper Brian O'Driscoll is well aware he is on a steep learnig curve when he leads the side against the Wallabies inDublin tomorrow.

O'Driscoll, 23, has never captained a side in senior rugby so he faces an incredible step into the unknown when, in the absence of injured skipper Keith Wood, he leads Ireland out at Lansdowne Road to face the world champions.

He is making sure, though, that he will have the advice of Wood and fellow vice-captain Anthony Foley ringing in his ears.

O'Driscoll said: "There's going to be occasions when I'll have to make decisions and I'll deal with those as they arise.

"But there will be experienced heads on the field with me and Anthony's done it all before.

"I'll be chatting to him before the game and picking up bits and pieces from him.

"And I'll talk to Keith later on in the week and try to learn as much as I can going into the game.

"Of course it's going to be different, it's something I've never done before.

"So there is added pressure, but I'm going to try and go out and play my own game as I normally do and try not to put too much weight on my own shoulders.

"That's the whole thing about shared responsibility, so I can go out and play the way I feel I want to play and not feel that added pressure."

Of the challenge of the Wallabies O'Driscoll added, "They're world champions, need I say more? They've shown over the past three or four seasons at least that they're certainly not beaten until the 85th or 86th minute.

"They've won games at the death on numerous occasions so we're certainly going to have our work cut out. But it's a challenge we're looking forward to.

"I heard Eddie O'Sullivan saying that we've been there or thereabouts with the Tri-Nations teams over the last couple of years and I think it's time that we did take a scalp off one of them."