The Lions have been keen to emphasise they are focused on themselves but like many of the squad, Conan has been coached by Wallabies Joe Schmidt and there is a lot of mutual respect.
“I think he’s had success no matter where he’s gone whether it be with Leinster, with us and obviously the All Blacks and now Australia,” Conan said.
“There’s an emphasis he puts on certain areas of the game.
“Look, it’s not going to be an easy game at all.
“Test match rugby never is so we’re going to have to be at our best.
“I think the media might give them a bit of a hard time but we know that they’re an unbelievably good side with incredible athletes across the park.
“And we know how motivated they are going to be for this first Test match in 12 years on home soil against the Lions so we’ll have to make sure that their motivation isn’t hard on us.”
So the serious business of this tour is about to kick in and Conan is ready to face the challenge – if selected.
“No-one can ever take away being a Lion for me and playing in three Tests – but four years ago is definitely not the same as now,” he said.
“This has been an incredible joy and the best few weeks of my career and I think that’s a sentiment that’s shared throughout the squad.
“Everyone’s loving it and loving the challenge. We are unbelievably excited for Saturday to hopefully we can go out and create a bit of history.”
