LIONS legend Jim Telfer believes Ian McGeechan will appoint Paul O'Connell as captain for this summer's tour to South Africa.

Brian O'Driscoll is favourite to get the job after captaining the Lions on their last tour to New Zealand in 2005 and leading Ireland to their first Grand Slam in 61 years. His closest rivals are O'Connell, who led Munster to the Heineken Cup last season and Ryan Jones, Wales's Grand Slam-winning captain in 2008.

However, Telfer, a long-time friend and colleague of McGeechan's following their time together with Scotland and, notably, as coaches on the successful Lions trip to South Africa in 1997, believes the Lions head coach prefers to have a forward as figurehead -- as he showed 12 years ago when naming Martin Johnson as captain, despite the fact the second-row did not have that role with England at the time.

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"He'll go with O'Connell," said Telfer. "O'Driscoll is an inspirational player, an outstanding player. But when I watch Ireland it looks to me as though O'Connell and O'Gara run the team.

"O'Driscoll doesn't come across in the media as a hard b*****d. I know he does in the games, you couldn't question that, but in public he's very easygoing. You want somebody to sit there grim-faced and mean and that's what Johnson did."

After the Lions defeated the Springboks 2-1, 12 years ago, McGeechan referred to the psychological edge his men had when the captains met for the coin toss before the Tests. South Africa were captained by Gary Teichmann who, at 6'3", was four inches smaller than Johnson at 6'7".

"Ian likes big men as captain, he likes a forward as a captain," said Telfer. "Ian tells the story of Martin being a few inches taller than Teichmann and towering over him and it set the tone, which is true.

"But Teichmann was unfortunate in a sense; Pienaar was the captain, but he went to England for the money. I think it will be O'Connell, I don't think it will be Mike Blair and I don't think it will be Ryan Jones."

On the issue of who will fill the Lions Test back-row positions, Telfer says the Irish trio of Stephen Ferris, David Wallace and Jamie Heaslip are in with a great shout, adding that Denis Leamy -- who excelled when introduced after eight minutes for the injured Ferris last weekend -- is also worth taking on tour.

"People say Jones was played out of position at six, I disagree. I think he is a six, he carries the ball in the wrong hand for an eight for starters. But Jones is not certain of his place. Heaslip pushes people off better than Jones from eight, he is good at lifting the ball from the scrum. He's not been playing well for Leinster, but he's played very well for Ireland. Heaslip is the kind of player Ian likes, he likes ball players, hard players, but ball players.

"Leamy is a good, tough player, but he is a six, Heaslip is a better No 8 and I think he could start for the Lions. Ferris is new to me, I hadn't noticed him all that much before this season, but he's really impressed me. He looks a right hard b*****d."

With O'Connell seen as a certainty for the second-row position, Wales' Alun-Wyn Jones has been tipped as the man most likely to partner him. However, Telfer is a big admirer of O'Connell's regular Ireland partner Donncha O'Callaghan and says that McGeechan is also.

"I know he likes O'Callaghan because he's a workhorse, he's told me, the same way he liked Lewis Moody in 2005 -- because of his work ethic."

In 1997, the Lions took on the world champions as rank outsiders, but surprised them at home with clever tactics revolving around the use of small props (Tom Smith and Paul Wallace) to unsettle the Springboks' greatest area of strength in the scrum; ferocious defence led by former rugby league stars such as Scott Gibbs and Alan Tait and the deadly goal-kicking of Neil Jenkins -- the Wales out-half having been asked to slot in at full-back.

This time around, South Africa are again favourites and again world champions, but Telfer says it will be harder for the Lions than it was 12 years ago because South Africa have more quality to call on.

"The Lions can do it, but it's going to be tougher than 1997 because the Springboks are stronger. They've got a very strong first 15, whoever they play. They've got three or four scrum-halves, three or four No 8s and I'm not so sure the Lions have the same quality of player in the first 15 as 1997.

"That being said, we were very lucky with injuries on that tour. We'd have been really screwed in the first two Tests if (out-half) Gregor Townsend had been injured; we had nobody else. Paul Grayson had gone home, Mike Catt had come from Argentina, but had a bit of catching up to do.

"But we had some outstanding individuals on that tour -- Scott Gibbs, Jerry Guscott, Rob Howley, Ieuan Evans, Alan Tait -- phenomenal players.

"We were playing some great rugby, in places like Western Province, Durban and we played a great game in Bloemfontain between the first and second Tests. The Cheetahs, as they are now, were the top province and we beat them by 40 points with our second team, Neil Back and those sort of guys.

"But South Africa weren't worried about that, they still thought their Test team was going to win and their confidence cost them in the first two Tests. After we beat them in the second Test in Durban, they changed their team completely and brought that big kicking guy (Jannie De Beer), but it was too late then.

"There was always a feeling that we'd lose the third Test -- which we did. We played reasonably well,but we were never going to win. But, anyway, it was too late for South Africa then, we had already won the series. We were always ahead of them in a tactical, street-wise way, they were always on the back foot especially after the first Test."

Telfer is best known to younger rugby followers for his starring role on the 'Living With The Lions' video that came out after the 1997 tour. In particular, Telfer's speech to the forwards before the first Test which, in rugby circles, is as renowned Al Pacino's famous 'inches' oration for 'Any Given Sunday'.

"To win for the Lions in a Test match is the ultimate. They don't rate you. They don't respect you. The only way to be rated is to stick one on them," said Telfer on that occasion.

The Scot won't be present this time around but there are many similarities between the 1997 tour, where he made his mark so memorably, and this summer's trip.

The Lions face a South African team high on the confidence of their status as world champions. They go in as underdogs with Ian McGeechan as coach and, if Telfer's prediction comes true, they may also have an indomitable lock-forward as their captain.

- hugh farrelly