O’Driscoll ‘honoured’ by player of the championship award

THE accolades continue to accumulate for Ireland’s Grand Slam-winning captain Brian O’Driscoll, who was yesterday named as the RBS Six Nations Player of the Championship for the third time.

The award, voted for by the public, puts the icing on the cake for O’Driscoll on a week where rugby luminaries such as Jack Kyle, Gavin Hastings — and yesterday, Jason Robinson — have tipped him to captain the British and Irish Lions in South Africa this summer.

O’Driscoll secured 30% of the 24,000 online votes, seeing off Italy’s talismanic number eight Sergio Parisse (27.9%) into second. Ireland’s second row colossus Paul O’Connell — another fancied to lead the Lions — came third.

O’Driscoll said: “It has been such an immense week already and to be named the RBS Player of the Championship is a fantastic end to what has been a phenomenal championship.

“This year’s tournament has been special for me and the Ireland team for lots of reasons — it’s been fantastic for Irish rugby and for the whole country.

“To be voted player of the championship by the fans makes it extra special, but I’m really proud of our team effort right the way through the tournament and I would not be in this position if it was not for my team-mates.

“The support of the fans throughout our campaign has been unwavering and a huge part of the team’s success on the pitch — I’m just glad we could reward them too by bringing home the Grand Slam.”

O’Driscoll also claimed the award in 2006 and 2007, but this one will have tasted sweetest of all after Ireland ended a six-decade wait for a Grand Slam, and annexed their first championship since 1985.

Speculation mounted at the start of the season as to whether O’Driscoll would relinquish the Ireland captaincy under Declan Kidney.

However, Kidney kept faith with the Leinster centre, and was rewarded with a scintillating return to form that also yielded tries in four of Ireland’s five games.

Former Lions wing Robinson has now added his voice to the growing clamour for O’Driscoll to lead Ian McGeechan’s side.

“For me it comes down O’Driscoll or O’Connell,” he said. “O’Connell leads from the front and doesn’t take a backwards step. He has a lot of experience and is one of those players who can win a game by the way he plays. You don’t usually say that about a forward.

“But for me, it has to be O’Driscoll. He’s back to his best and has led this Ireland team very well. He’s a match-winner, as he proved against England in the Six Nations.

“He has a great temperament, and your captain needs that composure. He’ll bridge the relationship between players and managers very well.”