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.