Follow Big Ben’s lead and put this Lions lark in perspective

Ben Roethlisberger has never heard of Brian O’Driscoll. Or Jonathan Sexton, Ronan O’Gara or Robbie Keane for that matter.

None of that is to say that he is ignorant of all things do to with Irish sports. The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, a five-handicapper, spent 10 days playing golf around Ireland and Scotland last year and was blown away by Old Head in Kinsale in particular.

We know all this because he was back in Ireland yesterday, as a favour to Steelers chairman Dan Rooney, as special guest for the annual Fourth of July flag football game at the US Ambassador’s residence in Dublin’s Phoenix Park, which the Irish-American started during his term in that same office.