DONAL LENIHAN: O’Driscoll has already settled Lions captaincy debate

In a sport obsessed with size since going professional 18 years ago, it was uplifting at the weekend to see welcome proof that a good big one doesn’t always beat a good little one.

With the advent of full-time training, hours spent pumping iron in the gym, where improvement is far easier to measure than a player’s ability to pass under pressure, have become the norm...to the detriment of skill development.

Brian O’Driscoll is not a small man but doesn’t look oversized when compared with many who played in midfield 30 years ago. The same cannot be said about the likes of George North, Alex Cuthbert, Jamie Roberts and Jonathan Davies. They would fit in comfortably with any Welsh pack from the same era.