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It would be understandable if Brian O'Driscoll didn't call up the last Irishman in this position to get some tips on what to do in New Zealand, and what not.

Back in 1983, Ireland's hooker Ciaran Fitzgerald was installed as captain of the Lions for their spin south. He got the job largely on the back of Ireland's Triple Crown success the previous year, an achievement that owed much to his leadership skills.

If that triumph had seemed a long way off when it came to selecting the Lions captain then it was light years further removed when the tour party flew out from London.

Fitzgerald is a stubborn character, and he needed every ounce of his will to withstand the flak that hit him on that trip. The nuts and bolts of it were that he wasn't worth his place in the test team.

It is hard to captain in those circumstances; harder still when the weather is battering you at every turn and the locals are doing the same. No, giving Fitzie a call might not have been in order.

O'Driscoll, too, is a captain who led his country to a Triple Crown a year out from the tour, but it has even less relevance now than it did in 1983. And unlike his predecessor there are no arguments about his place in the pecking order.

In 1983, England's Peter Wheeler was left behind to accommodate Fitzgerald in the squad. In 2005, Clive Woodward is bringing any back — well, almost — who can lace a boot, and still O'Driscoll is head and shoulders above the lot of them. That was central to his selection as captain: he had to be a shoo-in to the test team.

Perhaps it was this that militated against Paul O'Connell, Ireland's outstanding lock, who was in the mix along with O'Driscoll and Lawrence Dallaglio.

But competition for places at lock and loose forward will be white hot. Better to stick with a safe bet. Especially one who is utterly comfortable with the role.

When O'Driscoll was offered the job with Ireland in 2002, when Keith Wood was out injured, the young centre was unsure of himself carrying that responsibility.

By the time Wood retired after the 2003 World Cup the doubts had been dispelled. And by the time Woodward rang him in March he was ready, willing and waiting.

"I've had experience as a captain now, but I don't think you turn down the Lions captaincy full stop," he said.

"Whereas with the Irish captaincy I felt I might be around the international scene for a long time and it would come around to me again.

"With the Lions you don't wait for another four years hoping, first of all, to get on the tour, and second to get the captaincy. Unless you're really unsure about it, you take it."

By his own assessment, O'Driscoll has matured a lot since his international debut in 1999. From the moment he set foot in a test arena he was very good.

And once he dotted down his third try against France in Paris in 2000 he was a superstar. It afforded him attention off the field that he could have done without, but as a disciple of the credo that life is for living, it was inevitable he would appear in as many social columns as rugby ones.

As a rugby player he is unique, but as a celebrity who frequently wants his private life to be just that, he is not. He has learned to live with it. It's either that or stay indoors.

So, too, is he more comfortable dealing with the dreaded media function. Given the demands on his time on this trip it's as well.

But he already has an idea of what to expect, having made the trip to Australia in 2001. One of the lessons he learned on that adventure was to treat it as such: to get out and see a bit of the place and meet some of the people.

In Australia the pressure on everybody's time was intense.

"I think we will see aspects of the old Lions tours [on this trip]," he said. "Stuff like community activities and interaction with the fans, certainly a lot more that we did last time.

"The fun element will be brought back into it. I think Clive has a big emphasis on us all enjoying it, which is hugely important. A team who are happy and enjoying themselves play better rugby."

Ciaran Fitzgerald's crew were a long way from that. As it happens Woodward was on that trip, too, and recalling the experience only depresses him.

Yet it was one of the defining chapters in his career. He sampled the rugby pressure that is unique to New Zealand, but learned that to withstand it you have to open up a bit.

His captain is singing from the same hymn sheet. We'll see if it keeps fine for them.

· Brendan Fanning is rugby writer for the Irish Sunday Independent.