He's a five-Test Lion with two tours already under his belt, but Conor Murray says making the 2021 edition is more satisfying than his earlier achievements.

The Munster star has had to battle injury, a perceived loss of form and being left out of the Ireland starting team to get to this point and he is determined to make the most of the opportunity.

The scrum-half starts against Japan on Saturday and is relishing the opportunity to play alongside Dan Biggar for the first time.

"As a professional rugby player you go through those thoughts weekly depending on how you play, well or not so well, or whether you are injured," he said today before the Lions left Jersey for Edinburgh.

"It is a battle week-to-week as a professional athlete but you have got to keep your main goal in sight and stay positive and stay true to yourself.

"Whatever about the two previous tours, this is the most satisfying for me by a long, long way.

"With the challenges with injury and playing-wise and things like that it is something I am really proud to have come through and made it to this stage.

"I was here four years ago and I want to experience something similar so that has boosted the motivation even more again.

"You work so hard to get the call to get on this tour but once you get here what makes this special is how you perform on the pitch.

"Obviously, the relationships and the experiences we have off the pitch are going to be really important but ultimately its about what you don o the pitch and whether you are successful or not."

Murray and the players are aware of the worsening Covid-19 situation in South Africa and know they'll have to keep their biosecure bubble tight once they get to the Rainbow Nation.

"We’ve all lived it for the last year and a bit now and it is something we have learned to live with," he said.

"We have remained in our bubble but it has been cool to see normal life going on outside the hotel in Jersey and we had an open training session, obviously very safely.

"We are aware that South Africa is going to be completely different.

"You would love to be going down to an open South Africa where you can have fans. The memories of watching the 2009 tour are incredible, just the travelling support, and my experience of that in the last two tours makes it so, so special.

"To get the opportunity to play in a Test series with the Lions is something special. That will remain at the front of our minds. Yeah, it is going to be a challenge with Covid, we will be together and really tight for the six weeks we are down there but we are very, very lucky we get to do this.

"You have to get through it as best you can."

Murray toured with Biggar four years ago but has yet to play alongside him. He's relishing the opportunity.

"I know Dan from the last tour and any time I play against Dan he is a gent, full of chat, and it’s been great," he said.

"He has been the only No 10 here for the majority of our time in Jersey so he has had a lot on his shoulders and he has been really impressive.

"I saw an article after the last tour where he said with Jonny and Owen there he resigned himself to playing a few games but maybe not pushing too much in the Test side and you can see there is a difference in him this time.

"He has had a very successful few years with Wales and he has matured even more as a player. You can see it in him and as a person I get on really well with Dan. He is a top fella off the pitch and a pleasure to be around.”