Lions skipper O’Driscoll glad of insight into Keane edge ahead of trip

BRIAN O’DRISCOLL has revealed that a chat with Ireland football captain Roy Keane was the perfect send-off for the Lions tour to New Zealand.

The Lions were based at the same South Wales hotel as Manchester United before last weekend’s FA Cup final and O’Driscoll and Keane spent some time together.

“Roy thinks we are really going to be up against it,” said O’Driscoll.

“He’s looked at the form the All Blacks are in and knows how rare it is for the Lions to win there, but he’d love to see us win. It was great to sit down and talk to him. He is a national icon, a big hero and it’s always nice to meet your heroes on a personal level. He is so passionate about winning and that is infectious.”

O’Driscoll paid tribute to Keane’s role in bringing a professional attitude to the Republic football team.

“It used to be a case with the Irish teams of giving it a lash for an hour and then the floodgates tended to open,” he told the Daily Mail.

“Professionalism has helped us close the gap and Roy has been a driving force.”

O’Driscoll will have an Australian coach when he returns to Leinster after the Lions tour, following the appointment of Michael Cheika as head coach yesterday, with fellow Aussie David Knox as assistant coach. Both coaches have three-year deals.

Cheika, 38, has Heineken Cup coaching experience with Italian side Padova. He captained Randwick from 1997-99 and won seven Premiership titles with them between 1985 and 1999 He coached them, with Knox, to Premiership success in 2003-4. He also played in France and Italy.

Cheika said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to come to Leinster at this stage in my career. I’m looking forward to competing in the Heineken Cup. I have some experience of what to expect from my time in Italy.”

Knox, 41, was capped 13 times for Australia and was a member of the Australian 1991 World Cup-winning squad. He also featured in eight Premiership-winning teams with Randwick.