Lions Tour 2017: Rich history of touring excites Sams in Lions' den

They're the two Sams and if they're not quite the Two Ronnies (kids, ask your grandparents) Messrs Whitelock and Cane do a decent line in chat.

They were paired up yesterday - one hirsute and hulking, the other the boyish-looking heir to the greatest of the modern era - with the first Lions test approaching and bounced off each other neatly enough.

Big Sam the lock talked about a trip to Disneyland with his family ("His parents had told him they were going at the end of the year. Then finally it got to the week and he was pretty excited. I thought it was a good analogy," chipped in Little Sam, the flanker.)

The point is that Lions tours are so infrequent - one every four years to each of South Africa, Australia and New Zealand in turn - that they lend their own enchantment. As Whitelock pointed out, plenty of fine All Blacks never got the chance to face them.

" The hype, the atmosphere, the boys are really excited about it and that energy you can see it throughout them yesterday and today. It's something that's easy to get up for."

Cane, who had been asked earlier for his thoughts on the possible Lions loose forward combination for the test, demurred until the team was announced.

Then he had a British journalist tell him Irishman Peter O'Mahony will be captain.

"Have they named the squad?" Cane inquired.

"He's going to be captain," was the response, which brooked no argument.

"You're telling me? Cheers coach. You heard it here first," Cane quipped, then went on to talk glowingly of the hard-nosed Irishman's qualities as a champion back of the lineout leaper and allround rugged operator.

Whitelock, who will play his 86th test on Saturday - it will be Cane's 42nd - said lessons had been absorbed from being part of the Crusaders team squashed by the Lions in a clever swamping operation.

"The Lions really suffocated us. Our discipline was not anywhere near where it had been throughout the year. It was good learning for myself and others involved in that game."

Any suggestions Lions tours are coming to an end will get short shrift from the pair.

"There's so much rich history, and rugby is a lot about history and traditions. Long may it continue, I reckon," Cane said. "Totally agree," chipped in the big guy.

In one sense, these young men are no different from the fans around the country. "It's been a long time coming, it's test week and there's a bit of a spring in the step," Cane said. His accompanying grin said: "Can't wait".