British and Irish Lions captain Sam Warburton has expressed his happiness at being picked to start the first Test against Australia on Saturday.
The Wales flanker's place in the team was in huge doubt prior to the series opener after a combination of injury and improved form of competition put his role in the XV in jeopardy.
However, Warburton will now lead the Lions out against the Wallabies at the weekend, which he admits is a dream come true.
"It's happy days, it's awesome. It's exactly what you want to achieve when you're a young boy," Warburton told the official Lions website
"All the players were very excited with the announcement and the boys who aren't involved have been very supportive. They know there's every chance they could get back into the Test team. It's the first one of three, so there's a long way to go and players have still got every chance of being involved.
"Personally, I'm absolutely delighted. It's where you want to be. Even though they've announced the team, I still feel pretty relaxed at this stage. I won't feel the nerves until matchday in any game I play so I'm just enjoying it at the moment."
The Lions face Australia in the first Test in Brisbane on Saturday.
Matt Cotton
