British & Irish Lions
• British & Irish Lions tour Australia in 2013
Ireland Rugby
In BOD We Trust! For a few more years at least!!
It’s become a slogan for almost all Ireland fans, but this time it’s Leinster coach Michael Cheika who has voiced his opinion on why he believes O’Driscoll will play beyond the 2011 World Cup at both a domestic and international level.
O’Driscoll will be 31 for next year’s RBS Six Nations, but Cheika believes age is all in the mind.
“In my mind, he can certainly play beyond the World Cup. Smart players, players that can think a game, inevitably get even more valuable as they get older. They might lose some of the physical attributes but they gain in experience which makes them a threat in a different way.”
“In O’Driscoll’s case, there is then the fact that he is such a key influence on the rest of the squad. It is good to have him around young guys. So I would certainly not see him finishing at the next World Cup.”
“Frankly, I don’t like the idea of putting full stops on those things… players’ careers… because then it is like you have to start rushing to get everything in before they finish. I think Brian should just keep going, enjoy the game. You keep pushing yourself to be better; that is what is important.”
Some people thought his ambition and drive might drop after driving Leinster to a first ever Heineken Cup win and Ireland to a first Grand Slam win for over 60 years – 11 years is a long time in international rugby! Not in O’Driscoll’s case, it’s clear that he he still has challenges and ambitions he want to achieve – and that can only be good for both Ireland and Leinster.