British and Irish Lions flanker Justin Tipuric has expressed his surprise after achieving his dreams of earning a start for his side's tour opener at the weekend.
The 23-year-old has been named in Warren Gatland's starting XV for Saturday's encounter with the Barbarians in Hong Kong, and is part of an all-Welsh back-row - alongside Dan Lydiate and Toby Faletau.
Tipuric insists that he will not be making any special preparations for the occasion, but is excited at the opportunity he has been given.
"It was a bit of a shock but you dream of that and to actually put on that Lions jersey is a bit unreal at the minute," Tipuric told Sky Sports News. "It was hard but it is nice that it was kept quiet. I think a lot of the boys have been so excited to tell people but everyone has done a good job to keep it quiet.
"You just have to concentrate. Nothing has changed really, you just have to go out there and play with a smile on your face.
"You just want to take your chance and it is up to us as a team to really go out there and perform."
The match will mark Tipuric's debut for the Lions.
Matt Cotton
