O’Driscoll honour - Captaincy a boost to national pride

FOLLOWING the bitter disappointment of Ireland’s lacklustre performance in the Six Nations rugby championship, Brian O’Driscoll’s nomination as captain of the Lions for their forthcoming tour of New Zealand goes some way towards salvaging national pride.

As Ireland’s first Lions captain since 1983, it is a tremendous honour for O’Driscoll. He will take on a role performed with great distinction by players such as Willie John McBride.

As expected, the panel includes many English players who won the World Cup under Lions manager Clive Woodward.

Yet Ireland’s strong contingent of 11 players, one more than Grand Slam champions Wales, is a fair reflection of the unfulfilled potential of a team that promised so much.

Under O’Driscoll’s captaincy, the looming clash between some of the best exponents of rugby in the Northern hemisphere and the finest of the All Blacks is a mouth-watering prospect.