Lawrence Dallagliot the former England skipper and three-time British Lion writes for The Northern Echo during the Lions’ tour of South Africa.

WITH the warm-up games done and dusted, the British & Irish Lions now turn their attentions to the serious matter of a three-match series against the reigning world champions.

South Africa will be eager to avenge the 2-1 series defeat by the Lions during the memorable tour of 1997, and in doing so consign them to a third straight tour without success.

After the hammering suffered at the hands of New Zealand four years ago, the Lions must battle to regain some pride.

In head coach Ian McGeechan, I feel they have exactly the right man for the job. His blend of astute tactics and motivational team talks provides the perfect framework for success and it is up to the players to find it within themselves to respond.

He is a proven winner and I have been fortunate to enjoy great success under his leadership, both with Wasps and, more relevantly, the Lions in South Africa 12 years ago. He has been there, done it and probably collected a few T-shirts along the way.

Despite some indifferent performances since their arrival in South Africa three weeks ago, the Lions go into the first test with a 100 per cent winning record. While this is no mean feat, some performances have been below par and this has been reflected in one or two results that were a bit close for comfort.

Many people, including myself, thought the addition of Hook to the squad as a replacement for Leigh Halfpenny was a surprise and no doubt Delon Armitage would have been gutted not to get the call up.

However, Hook has applied himself brilliantly and proven to have a calm head under pressure. Having said that, I would still opt for Ronan O’Gara at No 10 for the first test.

The inevitable injury list has grown since the day the squad was announced and I’m only too aware how distraught those players who have been forced to withdraw must be.

Having departed early from two separate Lions tours – Australia in 2001 and New Zealand in 2005, due to injuries sustained in warm-up games – I have a lot of sympathy and understand their bitter disappointment.

For some, including Welshman Halfpenny, Irishman Tomas O’Leary and compatriot Stephen Ferris, there will surely be another chance, but for Jerry Flannery and Tom Shanklin the tour to Australia in 2013 might be, given their age, a bridge too far.

With the first Test here today, the team McGeechan chooses to send out in Durban makes intriguing reading.

There have been some notable performers in the warm-up games and I have been particularly impressed with the dynamic trio of Tommy Bowe, Lee Byrne and Jamie Roberts in the backline.

Having relinquished the captaincy and the pressure connected to it, the presence of O’Driscoll in the centre, pulling the strings, is an exciting prospect and should really allow him to flourish.

Up front, I am pleased that Tom Croft, after his initial omission from the squad, has taken his chance with a string of solid displays.

I think the pack should include the in-form Jamie Heaslip but also the scrummaging expertise of Simon Shaw, who is one of the best of his kind I have ever played with.

It is the job of skipper Paul O’Connell to get the best out of the lads on the pitch and if he does, the Lions have a great opportunity of returning home victorious.

The first test isn’t quite a must-win game but a defeat would make it very hard for the Lions to recover.

The chance to represent the Lions is one of the most exhilarating and unique experiences in world sport, and it is up to each and every player in the squad to stand up, be counted and become heroes in South Africa this summer.