Milestones and millstones

FIRST there was Edward Forrest in 1894, then Louis Magee in 1899, Karl Mullen in 1948 and ’49, and, more recently, Ciaran Fitzgerald in 1982 and ’85.

Now it's the turn of Brian O'Driscoll to follow in those illustrious footsteps and captain Ireland to Triple Crown glory at Lansdowne Road this afternoon.

He leads his men against Scotland with the plaudits of the game's pundits ringing in his ears. He has long since been dubbed "the best centre in the world", he is Ireland's leading try scorer and this afternoon's huge occasion coincides with his 50th international cap. He is also one of rugby's best-paid and most charismatic performers. So it would be reasonable to assume he has the sports and social world at his feet.

And yet it's not always easy for Brian O'Driscoll. He plays poorly and the criticism rages. It's then we hear dark mutterings about his many lucrative contracts and how maybe they are causing him to take his eye off the ball like in this season's clash with England, when one observer went so far as to claim he was the worst Irish player on the field. He is seen out with his glamorous model girlfriend, and the red tops (and a few Sunday broadsheets) have a field day. He lets the hair grow and throws in a touch of peroxide and it's more of the same.

But he's still only 25, and it's understandable that he gets frustrated at some of the jibes.

"Some comments are annoying but I do get a kick at some people being annoyed at the length of my hair," he grins. "I quite enjoy it. I just have a laugh to myself wondering why somebody should get so revved up about someone else's hair. Honestly, I think, get yourself a life. I never thought the day would come where I might agree with Shane Byrne on the hair issue. I have the same hairdresser as Padraig Harrington and I think Padraig has never looked better."

All said in good humour. But the hair style does stand out. And, thankfully, so, too, does his rugby prowess. His superb try against Italy was his 24th in 49 internationals, a ratio of one in two games.

And if he gets another today and leads Ireland to their seventh ever Triple Crown, he will have celebrated his 50th cap in the most appropriate manner.

"It's a very exciting thought. I feel like I've played a full career already," Brian says with that easy way of his. He agrees that the opportunity is there to win more caps than in days gone by but also stresses that "the careers of international players these days are becoming shorter and shorter so you take as many caps as the body will allow. Fifty caps is still a big honour. It's huge in anyone's career but now we've got ourselves into a selfish situation where we are trying to gain caps while also figuring on winning sides".

Speculation is mounting as to where O'Driscoll will be playing his rugby next season. The IRFU will do all in their powers to keep him whether that will be sufficient remains to be seen. The career of a modern professional rugby player is relatively short and who knows what might happen in the next match. His father, Frank, is Brian's business manager and renowned as a very tough negotiator. The lure of big bucks overseas is considerable. The O'Driscolls would be fools not to examine offers believed to be in the region of £250,000 a year. They are already weighing the financial advantages against the benefits of playing in a very protective environment here at home, and against being at the beck and call of club owners further afield.

"Sometimes you need a change of scene to revitalise yourself," Brian reasons. "You grow as a person as well as a player. There might be a need in your life outside rugby to go elsewhere. I don't know if I've reached that point yet. I'm enjoying playing international rugby and I haven't put a huge amount of thought into next year. I'll probably think about that on Monday and Tuesday, all going well with a bit of a hangover."

It's not that O'Driscoll backs off talking about the incessant speculation as to where he will play next season. He admits that, while he sets himself targets for each campaign, he does so in the long term as well. He talks about the importance of trying to better himself, of the danger of slipping into the comfort zone, from where his standards will slip. You have to admire the way he has slotted into the role of captain. His one-time Irish coach Warren Gatland went into print last year to slam Eddie O'Sullivan for appointing O'Driscoll to the role in Keith Wood's enforced absence, insisting it would affect his personal performance.

"There are parts of captaincy that I find enjoyable, parts that I find difficult," he muses. "I felt a little more comfortable when Keith took over for the World Cup and now it's taken me a while this time around to adjust. I'm enjoying it, it would be difficult not to when you're in a winning side and it would be a great honour to be captain of a side that achieved something. There are times when you want to concentrate on your own game and you know you can't because you have to worry about other people and keep other people focused. I've always looked upon myself as an 'actions rather than words' kind of leader."

O'Driscoll was catapulted to worldwide fame four years ago with his hat-trick of tries against France in Paris. He looks back on it as "one of my best games for Ireland, not just because of the tries. I watched it the other day on telly and I thought my general game was pretty good, I didn't miss too many tackles and my handling was good". Afraid he might be considered big-headed, he quips "it's been all downhill after that".

So is there a desire there to be seen as just an ordinary member of the team? As if to demonstrate the point, he delights at the impact made by Gordon D'Arcy and warmly welcomes back people like Geordan Murphy. He wants as many stars around him as possible so that "we can show what flair we have throughout the back line".

So, step up Messrs Forrest, Magee, Mullen and Fitzgerald and welcome the latest member of the Triple Crown winning captains club!