Brian O’Driscoll set to make an early return for Leinster.

My home Province of Leinster received a great boost to their Rabo Bank Pro 12 and Heineken Cup aspirations with the news that Irish captain, Brian O’Driscoll has made a speedier than expected return from a severe shoulder injury.

O’Driscoll is a phenomenal rugby player. He embodies all that is good about professional rugby. It was during my first game for Leinster in 2001 in Donnybrook, that I witnessed O’Driscoll’s supreme talent. We were in control of the game but I certainly noticed that this was a higher level than any other game of rugby I had ever played before. Brian and Malcolm O’Kelly were on the bench and were coming on to the field for their first appearance of the season, following their British & Irish Lions tour to Australia.

With 10 mins remaining, I was standing in the back line as a support runner. I just happened to be standing directly behind Brian O’Driscoll when he got the ball. Time seemed to slow down as he stepped off one foot, then the other and was suddenly scorching up the pitch. O’Driscoll gave a pass out to Denis Hickie and we scored a try. I could not believe how easy Brian O’Driscoll had made it look. His dismantling of the opposition has appeared so effortless at times.

 

Brian O’Driscoll Career highlights

Another factor that makes Brian O’Driscoll such a sublime talent is that he has never once rested on his success and taken a easy route. He is one of the hardest trainers I have ever had as a teammate. Brian has, for years set the tone of training for Leinster and Ireland too. He actually represented Ireland before he made his senior debut for Leinster.

O’Driscoll does something as an attacking rugby player that I have not seen anyone else do. Always with the ball in two hands, he makes eye contact with the defender and that forces the defender to make a decision. This brief moment of eye contact which draws the defender to make the tackle is usually followed by Brian O’Driscoll providing a pass to an on rushing teammate without even looking.

I believe this very understated skill and ability of Brian O’Driscoll’s is one of the main attributes that sets him apart. Brian O’Driscoll possesses the skill and confidence to pull off these no-look passes time and time again. It may seem like a very small facet of play but it makes defending very tricky. If a ball carrying attacker can “fix” a defender, and give an offload without even needing to look, the ball carrying attacker can pry open defenses, as Brian O’Driscoll has done on numerous occasions.

Rugby coaching is my passion these days but I sometimes let myself enjoy a moment or two thinking of my rugby playing days. It is with great fondness that I recall playing with some of the world’s great stars of the sport like, Aaron Mauger, Lewis Moody, Paul O’Connell, Mike MacDonald, Geordan Murphy and many more hugely talented rugby players. Brian O’Driscoll stands head and shoulders above them all in my book. He is pure class and the rugby world is a better place with Drico back on the pitch.

Rugby Player: Brian O’Driscoll Stats

 

Full Name: Brian Gerald O’Driscoll
Nickname: BOD
Born: 21 January 1979, Dublin
Height: 1.75m (5′ 9”)
Weight: 95kg (14st 13lb)

Brian O’Driscoll Position: Centre

Brian O’Driscoll Professional Club:
Leinster
European Cup – 2008/2009, 2010/2011
Magners League – 2001/2002, 2007/2008

 

Brian O’Driscoll International appearances:
Ireland, British and Irish Lions, Barbarians
Captained: Ireland and British and Irish Lions
Caps: 123 Test Caps, Ireland 117 and 6 for the Lions

1 Grand Slam – 2009
1 Six Nations Championship – 2009
4 Triple Crown – 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009
3 British and Irish Lions rugby union Tourist – 2001, 2005 (captain), 2009

	Years	Caps	Start	Pts	Tries	Drop	Won	Lost	Draw	%
All Tests	99-11	123	122	245	46	5	75	47	1	61.38
Ireland	99-11	117	116	240	45	5	74	42	1	63.67
British and Irish Lions	01-09	6	6	5	1	0	1	5	0	16.66
Rugby World Cup	99-11	17	16	41	7	2	10	7	0	58.82
Five/Six Nations	00-11	55	55	128	25	1	40	15	0	72.72

 

Brian O’Driscoll Records:
Highest scorer in Irish Rugby (45 tries)
Highest scoring Centre
8th highest try scorer in history
Most tries scored in a Six Nations (25 tries)

 

Brian O’Driscoll Awards:
Winner Rugby World Player of the Decade 2000-2009.
Nominated IRB Player of the Year 2001,2002,2009.
Winner Player of the Tournament RBS 6 Nations championship 2006,2007, 2009.

Brian O’Driscoll Famous Quote:

“’Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.”
Brian O’Driscoll on England Coach Martin Johnson

 

 

 

 

 

Gavin Hickie, The LineoutCoach, is a former Ireland, Leinster and Leicester rugby player now based in California and taking rugby to the USA. He writes for RugbyMag.com and other publications when not coaching for Belmont Shore and blogging on lineoutcoach.com