Brian O'Driscoll wouldn't have bounded out of bed yesterday and shrieked: "Yippee, it's media day!" Facing the New Zealand press, radio and television corps for the first time since his Lions tour was somewhat rudely interrupted - perhaps it was all an inevitable part of the cathartic process.

A relatively subdued captain's press conference meandered along as O'Driscoll was asked about all manner of issues, including his return to this country and his thoughts on Tana Umaga's retirement. Finally, fully 18 minutes into this pitter-patter and shadow boxing, he was asked if he had left behind that, eh, tackle.

"I can't believe it took this long to get to this," he quipped with a big grin. "Have I left it behind? Totally. Of course it was a difficult moment in my life and in my career, but I'm a big believer in time healing all wounds. As soon as I started playing again I guess the whole situation dissipated, and I just got on with the rest of my life and signed it off as a chapter in my life that probably wasn't the most positive but you're going to get them, and there's no ill-feeling.

"It was just one of those things that happens. It was an unfortunate case," he concluded, his voice dipping slightly.

The unintentional reference to a "chapter" in his life brought to mind how his published diary of 2005 generated some resentment hereabouts, and the issue will never be completely parked there. Citing his belief that he was "done over" last year, a journalist asked if he was still of that view.

"Fresh off the back of something like that happening, your emotions are going to be very strong, and you possibly shout out before you think. That's human nature. I think I'm able to realise that when the boys say there was no malice involved you have to take guys at their word like that. Tana (Umaga) is not a dirty player and likewise Keven (Mealamu). You just accept them for what they say and get on with it. That doesn't make it any easier in the immediate aftermath, when your emotions are raw."

Asked if he planned on catching up with Umaga on this trip, he observed dryly: "Well, I'm not going to go down for a day trip to Wellington. Of course if he was around there would be no animosity on my part, I'd have a beer with him or have a chat with him. It's not an issue as far as I'm concerned."

He was even given the opportunity to refer to Umaga's infamous recent "handbags" with his Canterbury team-mate Chris Masoe, the said weapon fetching 22,750 New Zealand dollars on an internet auction, but judiciously and politely declined: "I'm keeping the handbag gags to myself."

Phew. And so it ended. Reflecting on his ordeal, having completed a further exhausting round of interviews, he admitted it was easier than he might have expected.

"I was kind of looking forward to it really. I certainly didn't feel particularly nervous. If I did have any nerves it was gone after the first question. It's like any interview situation: you get a bit of a frog in your throat for the first one - you get a bit of a Ronan O'Gara throat on you - and then ease into it a little bit more. Then you almost enjoy it - almost. It was grand. You just try and be as honest as you possibly can."

The days continue to pass in a surreal way. As Eddie O'Sullivan, perhaps a tad miffed, noted, not a word of rugby coverage could be found in some of the New Zealand papers. The sun again shone gloriously from a clear blue sky all day, albeit without the heat of home, but O'Driscoll wouldn't be human if a return to Auckland didn't revive some memories, few of them pleasant.

"I guess it's unfair on poor Auckland, but I spent the third week (of the Lions tour) here and I wasn't training and I wasn't really involved. So my love for Auckland was minimal and I have to say I've pretty much picked up where I left off," he smiled.

"No, it's grand. It is nice being in the company of guys that you know a bit better than you did last year, and I guess you have to make less of an effort because it's more natural. That's always going to be easier."

Physically he feels good: "Being blatantly honest, I was in some of the best condition of my life last year. But I'm still feeling good now, and I'm probably feeling fresher than a lot of the boys because of missing the first four months of the season."

The captain and backline talisman hopes it will show in the tests, because his comments suddenly remind you he is no longer a kid. Now 27, and with treks here coming along every four years, further involvement against the All Blacks in, say, 2010 or in the 2011 World Cup is by no means assured.

"That's the thing, it really is. You don't know. The body or the mind might give up. I'm not saying it for the sake of it, but you really have to enjoy these opportunities as if they're your last, because you don't know when they may come around."

There will be no mental baggage from last summer when kick-off comes on Saturday night (7.35pm, 8.35am Irish), and any desire to prove himself against the best is merely the same as ever: "It was a big disappointment last year not being able to play in the three Tests and again in November but I find myself 11 months down the line getting the opportunity to run out in a Test and I'm thoroughly looking forward to it. It's not for any other reasons than to kind of prove to myself what I'm capable of."

Having signed off the season with a couple of sharply taken tries in Leinster's win away to Edinburgh, he admits his form hasn't been as consistent as he would have liked.

"I've blown a bit hot and cold this season. I've been happy in general with it (his form). Of course it could be better, but it could be a hell of a lot worse too."

Surprisingly, he insists being in camp with Celtic League and Heineken Cup winners hasn't been too unbearable. "Mind you, I do look at them over the dinner table and think, 'I can't believe these b******s have Heineken Cup medals'. You do look and think, 'They must be delighted with themselves'."

Surely O'Gara has been rubbing it in?

"Rog isn't like that. Not to me. He'd get a clip around the ear."