Heaslip expects Drico as skipper

Jamie Heaslip is expecting Brian O’Driscoll to be named Ireland’s Six Nations captain today and says he has no complaints about Declan Kidney’s decision.

The Leinster number eight captained Ireland through the Autumn internationals in the absence of O’Driscoll, Paul O’Connell and Rory Best.

Speculation has been growing that Heaslip will be Ireland’s long-term captain, but with O’Driscoll expected to recover from an ankle injury in time for the Six Nations opener with Wales on February 2, the 29-year-old says Kidney would be justified in reverting to Ireland’s record try scorer when he names his squad today.

“If Brian was made captain, I’d have no qualms with it — it is probably what I’d expect,” said Heaslip.

“I haven’t had any meetings about it, no. I don’t know what Deccy is going to do, but I’d have no qualms if Brian is back and Deccy makes him captain again.

“You never know with Deccy. I might get another phone call in Tesco [where Heaslip was when he was told the news in the autumn], so I’ll try and be in a better place this time around.”

Heaslip admits he was humbled by the experience of leading Ireland — although he believes the team ethic in the squad means that leadership is about more than just the captain.

“It was awesome and cool,” he added. “It was quite humbling to be leading out your mates and your team-mates, guys who are players of unbelievable calibre.

“Brian will probably tell you as well from his experience that there as so many different leaders within the team anyway that you don’t need a captain as such.

“Guys like Jonny Sexton, Ronan O’Gara or Paddy Jackson at 10, they know exactly what the team has to do. The same goes for whoever calls lineouts or plays, everyone knows what they have to do. You have guys who chat and talk.

“Have I reflected on what it was like to be captain? I haven’t really as I was straight back in the mix [with Leinster] the following week.

“I kind of feel sorry for the management of the national squad as you have the November series and then wait two months for your next game. Then you wait six months for another game while for us players it is bang, bang, bang, playing loads of games. For us, the hangover from November is gone pretty quickly.”