Gatland on defensive after backlash from O'Driscoll axe Controversy: Brian O'Driscoll shortly after being dropped for the third Test. P Photo: Getty Images Warren Gatland has been forced to defend his omission of veteran centre Brian O'Driscoll from the British and Irish Lions team to face the Wallabies in Saturday's series decider in Sydney. Even the Lions head coach's usual ploy of lobbing provocative barbs at the Wallabies failed to deflect attention from his shock decision to dump the four-tour centre in favour of Jamie Roberts and Jonathan Davies in the starting side, with Manu Tuilagi on the bench. The public backlash was swift. While many conceded Roberts and Davies formed a superior midfield combination, O'Driscoll's status as a hero of northern hemisphere rugby ensured passionate appeals swamped social media and airwaves from the moment tour manager Andy Irvine read out the team. It's only hard because you are making the decision by using your head and not your heart. Then you realise that what comes of making a decision like that is all the peripheral stuff, not the rugby decision, because it becomes a major story for 48 hours," Gatland said. That is the process I've gone through myself. If I go back to the UK after this and say 'did I make the decision because I believe it's the right decision or ... because it was the right political decision or sentiment?' I have to put my hand on my heart and say it's the right rugby decision. O'Driscoll was one of six changes to the team that lost 16-15 to Australia in Melbourne on Saturday. Jamie Heaslip was also dropped from the 23 players picked for the match, and Welsh second-rower Alun Wyn Jones will captain the side. Sean O'Brien takes the place of Warburton at No.7, with Dan Lydiate and Toby Faletau rounding out the back row. Mako Vunipola has been dropped to the bench to make way for returning English prop Alex Corbisiero. Gatland spared some energy for a dig at the Wallabies. "It was a one-point game last week and they were absolutely desperate," he said. The question for Australia is, can they get themselves emotionally up for this game? I'm not sure that they can.