O’Driscoll may link up with old coach Cheika

Brian O’Driscoll yesterday revealed he considered a move to Super Rugby in the southern hemisphere last year.

And the Leinster and Irish legend hasn’t ruled out a possible link up with former coach Michael Cheika at the New South Wales Waratahs when his contract expires in June, 2013.

“Just before the World Cup I thought about the possibility of last year maybe taking a little bit of downtime after the World Cup, and playing a year of Super Rugby,” O’Driscoll told Australia’s Daily Telegraph yesterday.

“The three best teams in the world make up the Super 15, and you look at the individuals and you look at the calibre of sides and the quality of Super Rugby and the intensity of it, obviously it is a hugely high standard.”

O’Driscoll admitted such a move would be hugely challenging but then revealed he is “a never say never sort of person.”

“I am contracted only to June, so whether I play on for another year after that, the body will be able to tell me later on this year,’ “What excites me is the challenge of playing against the calibre of player you are playing week-in, week-out down there.

“That is an exciting prospect. But whether all the pieces fit, I don’t know. At this moment in time, probably not,” said the national skipper who is married to actress, Amy Huberman.

“But ‘Cheiks’ has my number, so if he wants to give me a call, he knows how to get me.’ “My time might have passed on that front but I definitely a never say never sort of person.’ O’Driscoll heaped praise on Cheika crediting him with having a “massive role in instigating the rise of Leinster Rugby’ between 2005 to 2009 and leading them to a Heineken Cup title.

“He put a huge amount of structures in place and I would think structure at the Waratahs is probably pretty good anyway, but he will tweak things the way he has done in the past with ourselves. He is a very effective coach if he gets the right people around him, as well. I think he’ll do a great job. One thing I would say about him, which I think is one of his strengths, is that I never bored of any team talk that he gave the side. That’s a huge strength. It is difficult when you are with a team for five years, to try and come up with new material. But in fairness to him it was always insightful and targeted in the right way.’” However Cheika isn’t expecting to see O’Driscoll arriving in Sydney with gear in hand. “O’Driscoll is a class act both on and off the field and I’m sure we’ll see that class from him during the Lions tour next year,’ he told the paper via email from Paris. “Brian is a Leinster man through and through. Sydney is a long way from Dublin, so I’d say the only chance of him playing Super Rugby is if we kidnap him during our tour match against the Lions next June. I will say though he is one northern hemisphere player who I am sure would be able to be a dominant figure in the southern hemisphere tournament.”