Donal Lenihan
June 12th 1999
Australia v Ireland, Ballymore, Brisbane
FOUR hours before his first Irish cap, O’Driscoll is enjoying a walk around the Botanic Gardens adjacent to team headquarters at the Park Royal Hotel with the rest of the players, tossing a ball around with a palpable air of nonchalance. Should he be nervous? One would have thought so.
He was, after all, poised to pit himself against Tim Horan and Jason Little, who were the most potent, respected and decorated centre combination in the game with four World Cup medals between them. O’Driscoll hadn’t even played a competitive game for Leinster, yet right from the start, he had that big game temperament. While Australia won comfortably, the Dubliner made a significant enough impression for Horan to approach me after the game to enquire who he was.
It wasn’t the first time I was asked that question. A few months earlier, at an Irish squad session in Galway, O’Driscoll and Gordon D’Arcy had been invited to attend as two promising young players to observe and learn. O’Driscoll, in particular, raised a few eyebrows. With thmajority of the Irish players based in England back then, they hadn’t a clue of the talent coming up behind them. It lashed rain all day and due to injuries O’Driscoll got a run in midfield with the senior side. Conor O’Shea was blown away. Again the whisper — “where did he come from?”
Within eight months he was a household name after scoring those famous three tries to cement Ireland’s first win in Paris in 28 years. Former French centre turned film star Denis Charvet implored me to bring him into the Irish dressing room after that performance to meet the young starlet. From that day introductions were unnecessary. O’Driscoll had arrived. What none of us appreciated was the influence he would exert on Irish rugby fortunes for a decade to come.
Ten years on and he has more than survived the test of time. His record is phenomenal — 99 caps, 63 tests as captain yielding 43 victories, an incredible win ratio of 70%. There have been a few hiccups, a loss of form for a period, even one that by his own admission required the intervention of a sports psychologist just over 12 months ago to address a lack of confidence - so, human after all.
That O’Driscoll survived the social goldfish bowl of Dublin during the manic years from Celtic Tiger to bust says everything. Even the mighty fall - ask the real Tiger. It can’t have been easy and at times he tested the boundaries. He liked to let his hair down every now and then. From that perspective, he had far more balance in his life than Jonny Wilkinson; he knew how to enjoy himself and even indulged in the odd cigarette.
Yet, over the course of the last 18 months it seemed to dawn on him that time was running out. At some stage the body lets you know that you can’t play forever. There was a realisation that while the personal honours were plentiful, the trophy cabinet was threadbare. Almost single handily he set about addressing that issue and within nine months emulated Karl Mullin in captaining his country to a Grand Slam and satisfied the yearning to match his Munster colleagues in the quest for that elusive Heineken Cup medal. In both campaigns he delivered big moments in every game, and seismic moments in some.
In so many respects, Brian O’Driscoll is unique in the modern game. He has the respect of all who play with or against him, back or forward. He is loved not because of his genius but because of his honesty. He wouldn’t dare ask anyone to do something he wouldn’t do himself. Over the years, his game has evolved to such a degree that there is nothing he can’t do. His willingness to smash and compete with the big boys at the break down is inspirational. Just ask Danie Rossouw. The Blue Bulls of Northern Transvaal are aptly named. They have a reputation for over a century of producing hard-nosed, grizzled forwards. Rossouw is one of them. No matter what he achieves in the remainder of an excellent career that has already produced World Cup, Tri Nations, Super 14 and Currie Cup medals, he will be forever known now in Pretoria as the Goliath that Brian felled in that amazing Lions second test last summer.
David is out of a job.
O'Driscoll enjoys a unique place in the Irish psyche, a rugby player whose brilliance transcends all sports. He has replaced Roy Keane as the symbol of success for all aspiring sports people. From the outset he had this unique ability to duck and weave at full pace, a product of a very low centre of gravity. He has great feet, great hands and the capacity to recognise space and exploit it instinctively. He was also a willing pupil. On his breakthrough Lions tour to Australia in 2001, he listened and learned from the more experienced players around him, the English especially. He learned from the likes of Martin Johnson, Neil Back and Wilkinson to be demanding of himself, of his fellow players and coaches. He brought that back to the Leinster and Irish camps and began to demonstrate the leadership qualities that elevated him to the Irish captaincy within two years, a role he has held since. He now epitomises what leading by example actually means.
After the disappointment of the World Cup two years ago, I was one of those who thought the time was right for a change at the helm. I was wrong. O’Driscoll had unfinished business to attend to which culminated in the Millennium Stadium last March when the Grand Slam was delivered. Ireland would not have won it without him. Now, one senses after the disappointments of RWC 2007 another unfulfilled ambition will sustain him until New Zealand in 2011. That is good news for Irish rugby.
When one discusses the merits of the greatest centres to play the game, such qualities as Mike Gibson’s hands, Jeremy Guscott’s elusiveness, Philippe Sella’s rugged physicality and Tim Horan’s finishing prowess immediately spring to mind. The thing that separates O’Driscoll is that he is an amalgam of their greatest strengths, the complete player. His leadership qualities and ability to make the right decision at the right time set him apart. While it is difficult to compare players who spanned amateur and professional eras, in my opinion he has proved the greatest and most influential Irish player of all time.
If he has any weakness, it is that he has never been the greatest kicker of a ball. Over the years, his qualities have been refined and enhanced in line with the demands of a sport that continues to develop.
Along that road O’Driscoll, ever the willing pupil, has been transformed into the master.
