DRIVE OF LIONS

Sheehan's ready for a show of Force

- RODDY DUNCAN

DAN SHEEHAN has warned Western Force they won't have the monopoly on hunger when the Lions roar into Perth this weekend.

The Ireland hooker takes the captain's armband with Maro Itoje rested, as Andy Farrell's men look to bounce back from their opening tour defeat to Argentina.

Sheehan, 26, is one of nine debutants named in the matchday 23 to face the Super Rugby side at Optus Stadium tomorrow - and he's fired up to prove the Lions will match the Aussies' intensity.

With the Force eyeing up a once-in-a-generation scalp, Sheehan knows the Lions can't afford to start slow. The tourists are expecting a full-blooded contest - and the stand-in skipper has made it clear they're ready to meet it head-on.

He said: "It's important to know where the opposition's mindset is and how they approach a game that only comes around every 12 years, like it does for the Western Force.