Sam Warburton says he's desperate to be involved in the Lions' first tour game against the New Zealand Provincial Barbarians despite arriving in the country under a slight injury cloud.
Warburton suffered a knee injury scare during a Pro12 clash at the beginning of April and Lions coach Warren Gatland may have liked to put him on ice until the first Test on June 24.
But not if Warburton gets his way.
"You just want to get that Lions jersey in your kit bag and actually say you played for the Lions on this tour," Warburton said from the team hotel on Wednesday night.
"Obviously I'm desperate to be involved in the first game."
With one of the Lions' best talents in Billy Vunipola back in the UK after suffering a shoulder injury, Warburton's workload will be crucial to the success of the team this tour.
Facing 10 matches that are likely to be very physical in 36 days, it is the workload and the schedule that could ultimately be the undoing of the Lions.
However, instead of being daunted by the task, the Lions captain is excited by it.
"The good thing when the first game gets underway on Saturday is that they start coming through thick and fast and it's just nice to get that first game under your belt and you can crack on."
"What's nice is that you don't have a lot of time to think about it."
After they play the New Zealand Provincial Barbarians in Whangarei on Saturday, the Lions head back to Auckland to play the Blues on Wednesday 7 June.
Newshub.