O’Driscoll shrugs off hype as historic 100th cap beckons

SATURDAY’S 100th international cap represents the latest milestone in the magnificent rugby career of Brian O’Driscoll but the man himself seems immune to the hype and headlines surrounding his entry into the century club.

Instead, the skipper insists it will be business as usual when he leads his team out against Wales at Croke Park, revealing that he will utilise all of the emotion surrounding the achievement “into playing the best I can”.

Yesterday’s squad press conference developed into a discussion of O’Driscoll past, present and future with the national captain, not for the first time, surpassing all expectations.

“It was a huge honour to get my first cap at the age of 20,” he recalled at the Irish camp headquarters in Killiney.

“At the start, you want to get as many caps as possible and then your mindset changes and you want to win as many matches as possible while getting those caps. Then you become selfish and you want to win trophies.

“So you don’t look at a day when you might reach the 100. If it comes, well and good, but for a number of years I’ve thought that the next game in a green shirt could be my last.

“If you have that attitude, I don’t think you can go too far wrong.”

All well and good but surely pride and emotion enter the equation when he steps onto the Croke Park sod on Saturday? That being the case, is there a danger these factors could affect his performance?

“I don’t think so because I’m looking forward to it and enjoying it and then it will be just another Test match,” he maintained.

“Once that whistle goes, people aren’t going to treat you any differently because you’ve played 100 Test matches. They didn’t treat John Hayes any differently last week. Before the anthems, when you lead the team out, it will be a proud moment for me and my family. But it will be business as usual after that. I suppose there will be a little emotion but I was never one for letting that get out of control. I will instead tunnel that into playing the best I can.”

O’Driscoll’s approach to his role as Irish leader and talisman should not be mistaken for arrogance. Rather it is a tribute to his self-belief shaped by his achievements on the international stage over the past decade. Yesterday was a case in point as he sat calmly, answering every question courteously and sensibly without a false sense of modesty.

“I’m not chopped liver just yet,” he grinned when it was hinted that reaching the century mark might see his commitment wane. “I will play for as long as the body and mind are good and the coach wants me to.

“I’m really enjoying my rugby. Last year was fantastic and it makes it a lot easier when you win a couple of trophies that you’ve been trying to win for a long time. But you always want to keep improving and it’s when you think you have it all cracked that it’s time to hang up the boots. I know there’s an end line in sight so it’s a case of trying to attain as much as possible in that remaining time.”

THERE WERE few prizes for guessing the top memories when recalling his career highlights in an Irish shirt.

“I won’t forget the second half of the game in Cardiff in a hurry,” he recalled of last year’s Grand Slam heroics. His hat-trick of tries in Ireland’s 27-25 victory over France a decade ago also merited a mention.

“It was only in subsequent years that I realised how big a triumph it was. Along the way, I’ve also been fortunate to be involved in some great occasions and to experience some fantastic dressing room atmospheres. It’s only players can get to experience that and that’s what makes it so special.”

O’Driscoll made the first of his 99 appearances against Australia at Ballymore, Brisbane, on June 12, 1999, and his opposite number that day was Australian ace Tim Horan.

“He’s the best I ever played against and, yes, he was better than me,” he recalled, with just the hint of a smile.

But back to Saturday. Not only is he winning his 100th cap but is also captaining his country for the 63rd time.

It’s a job he’s been doing since 2002, aged 23. He claims: “It’s become more of a natural thing but there are always aspects that you’re never fully comfortable with because you want to make sure that you’re not saying the same things, that you’re not a broken record. I still work on my captain’s day speech on a Friday like I did the very first time I did it.”