British & Irish Lions
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Ireland Rugby
Player of the Decade: O’Driscoll
From a stunning hat-trick on his debut against France in the Six Nations 2000, to leading Leinster to the Heineken Cup, to leading Ireland to a first Grand Slam in 61 years O’Driscoll has had a massive career (and that doesn’t even mention his three Lions tours!).
O’Driscoll was the only Irishman included in the Rugby World magazine’s Team of the Decade featuring seven North Hemisphere players and nine from the South.
RUGBY WORLD TEAM OF THE DECADE: Mils Muliana (New Zealand); Jason Robinson (England), Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland), Matt Giteau (Australia), Shane Williams (Wales); Dan Carter (New Zealand), Agustin Pichot (Argentina); Gethin Jenkins (Wales), John Smit (South Africa), Carl Hayman (New Zealand), Martin Johnson (England) (capt), Victor Matfield (South Africa), Richard Hill (England), Richie McCaw (New Zealand), Sergio Parisse (Italy).
Replacements: Rodrigo Roncero (Argentina), Mario Ledesma (Argentina), Sylvain Marconnet (France), Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe (Argentina), Fourie Du Preez (South Africa), Jonny Wilkinson (England), Yannick Jauzion (France), Juan Martin Hernandez (Argentina).