BRIAN O’Driscoll has done many great things over his career and now the legendary centre has debunked the myth that nationality doesn’t matter when it comes to the British and Irish Lions.

Some would like to think that we are all in this together, humming the tune of Sir Clive Woodward’s ‘Power of Four’ while looking at Tom Croft in the same way we do Dan Lydiate, and Stuart Hogg as we would Rob Kearney.

Yet it’s naïve to think that we can go from despising one player in the Six Nations to cheering them on a Lions tour.

The happy reaction from all four countries (bar a small pocket of fans in the town of Northampton) to Dylan Hartley being banned backs that up.

We all head in with our own preconceptions of players and our own favourites; that’s why Warren Gatland and his coaching team will be criticised whatever 23 they select.

As baffling as it may be to many, Leicester fans can see the qualities of Tom Croft and Geoff Parling because they regularly produce the goods for their side.

The same goes for Jamie Heaslip – in this neck of the woods we are delighted that Toby Faletau is getting a well-deserved shot in the third Test.

Heaslip can appear flash but Dubliners have seen their number eight lead the charge to European glory and skipper his country.

We watch games and look closely for the mistakes of those from other nations and ignore errors made by our favourites.

I guarantee that the Irish Times will pick the bones out of Jonathan Davies’ display in Sydney and there will be many in green jerseys hoping the Scarlets man has a howler.

Sky Sports’ Stuart Barnes provoked Welsh ire when he said that perhaps the Lions would be better off with Sean O’Brien at seven rather than Sam Warburton to provide a ball carrying option.

Yet plenty of the folk that have fallen just short of burning a rather rotund effigy of the (Gwent-educated) former England fly-half have themselves been calling for Warburton to lose out to Justin Tipuric in the Six Nations.

The Scottish press has – rightly – been livid about Gatland not bringing on Ryan Grant at loosehead last week.

They believe that they should have been represented more strongly on the tour and are the victims of a poor perception of their national side, something that can only be addressed with better Six Nations showings.

And the Scots feel that Richie Gray should be starting on Saturday rather than coming off the bench.

I believe he’s lucky to be Down Under after a poor season – compatriot and Clermont lock Nathan Hines could easily have got the nod.

There was a slight English kerfuffle when Chris Robshaw was left out of the squad but that is nothing to the Irish anger prompted by BOD’s axing – and the number of Welshmen.

“In a must-win game, amid suggestions that the very future of the Lions’ brand depends on this result, Gatland has put his faith in players who have failed to beat Australia the last three times they have faced them wearing the red of Wales,” read the Irish Independent.

The article concluded: “It’s impossible not to believe that the Lions’ coach has made a grave and probably fatal error in dropping O’Driscoll and, to a lesser extent, Heaslip.”

While O’Driscoll was seen as a shoo-in by those in Dublin, many in other lands were questioning whether one of the all-time greats was being picked on reputation, just like England’s World Cup winners on the 2005 tour of New Zealand.

Plenty in Wales were pushing for Davies to be retained and many in England believed Manu Tuilagi could have been brought in to make an even more powerful midfield.

We passionately back our own while at the same time backing the Lions.

Depending on where you are from, a Lions side will always be too Welsh, too English, too Irish or too Sco… well, maybe there’s no chance of it being too Scottish.

Show me someone who says they don’t notice whether a Lions player is from the land of the feathers, rose, thistle or shamrock and I show you a liar.

It doesn’t lessen their desire to see a British and Irish success but we all want plenty of ‘our boys’ to be in that side.