Scotland captain Mike Blair has vowed to grab his Lions chance with both hands after being picked for the opening tour match against a Royal XV.

Blair, who is one of nine debutants, will start at scrum-half and is the only Scot in Ian McGeechan's 22-man squad.

And the Edinburgh star, a replacement on the tour for crocked Irishman Tomas O'Leary, can't wait for the talking to stop and the action to begin on the pitch after a lengthy build-up

"To be named on the tour is a huge honour but I won't really believe I'm a Lion until I've got the shirt on and playing a game," said Blair.

"Ian McGeechan has talked about not picking his team for the first Test until the week of the Test, but he will be looking at combinations to see how they work with each other.

"I've not played with any of the other lads but I've played against them and know their games pretty well.

"This is a great opportunity for me and I'm glad to get it out of the way early."