There is no substitute for international rugby and no better sight for an Irish fan than to see their captain relishing his return to it after what looked like a career threatening setback.

Brian O'Driscoll's recovery from that shoulder injury will hopefully be complete come Saturday afternoon and while the Leinster skipper still feels like he has five or 10 per cent left to gain, his return to form has been relatively swift.

His performance against Bath at the Recreation Ground, which saw him score two tries and play like one of world rugby's greatest talents, heralded for most his return to the top. Some even ventured to suggest it was his best performance for his province.

O'Driscoll feels that such commentaries were a little hyped, though he knows himself it was good, but there is another step up on recovery way for the 26-year-old - one he is not taking lightly.

The recent form of Munster and Leinster is a "boost" for the team, according to the captain, but there remains a big difference between European competition and the international game.

O'Driscoll knows that this weekend represents another massive step in his recovery and the development of the side.

"The toughest Heineken Cup game doesn't equate to the toughest international, that's the best way of saying it," he insists. "There's a different speed, a different skill level...different pressure, different atmosphere, everything is different."

"It’s about trying to amalgamate the confidence of the two sides (Munster and Leinster) and of some of the others as well.

"The Ulster boys, the guys who are in the squad, are playing good rugby and that's why they have been picked. So, it’s trying fit all that confidence together, and play the right patterns...and play as this Irish team knows it can."

O’Driscoll’s says his rapid return to form, after a painfully drawn out recovery, is as much down to the team around him at Leinster.

"It took three pretty average games and I got lucky with having a good game against Bath. I got some really good ball, we played well.

"You'll get good games like that and certainly I'll take them when I get them but as long as I continue doing the simple things right and occasionally create something or do something myself, that makes me happy."

The injury served as reminder to O'Driscoll of his privileged position and he believes it may well prove to be the making of a better player.

"The older you get the wiser you get about certain things. The more you experience, good and bad, you take that all on board. It was probably my first really big disappointment in my career, being out for that length of time and the way it happened. I have something to balance myself out now. I do know that I will certainly not take things for granted as much as I did beforehand."

O’Driscoll’s re-introduction to international rugby comes against the traditional whipping boys of the competition but that's not something the captain will dwell on. Italy have always been regarded as a hard hitting side that plays its rugby up front. But the backs get hit too and O'Driscoll's memories of playing the Azzurri are littered with big tackles and physical encounters.

"The hits are big, the collisions are hard and they certainly don't give up whether you are on top or not. It’s their aggressive nature that always turns games into a physical encounter. I don't think it’s much different from a back's point of view, we'll treat them exactly the same as we would any other team and we'll look forward to taking them on."

It’s been a long wait for his public but the end is nigh and Italy are probably the only ones not looking forward to the Irish captain's return.