GOODBYE TO A GENIUS
“What a servant Brian has been not only Irish rugby but to his sport. He is one of the legends of the game with his Lions record, his Irish record and what he has achieved in his career, along with his overall dedication to his sport. The esteem he is held in by his peers is more important than anything else. Unlike the sport of golf, rugby players have a limited playing career and unfortunately Brian’s considered the time is right for him to step away and you have to admire him for that. It was so brilliant that his last appearance at home resulted in a victory but how good was it to cap it all off with a win in Paris? What has set him apart from his peers? Talent. Dedication and desire to lead, and desire to win. He’s a natural leader. He’s just a legend of the sport not just in Ireland but he’s a legend in the game of rugby and I wish him every success in retirement.”
“What stood out for me wasn’t one game in particular but how he conducted himself during the controversy on the Lions tour last year. The way the whole country got behind him, it would have been so easy for him to jump on the bandwagon about being dropped but instead he rallied behind his team-mates and took the focus off himself. He has always conducted himself very well and he’s always been grounded, which would be difficult in the rugby world because the focus is on you the whole time.
“He’s always come across as very humble and that’s genuinely what he is. He would never fail to speak well of his team-mates and that’s something that would have stuck with me. He is regarded as one of the best players of all time too, of course. Every time there has been a big occasion he’s lived up to it, like the past two weekends when all the attention was on him.
“The pressure has been on him from an early time in his career from the supporters, media and analysts and he’s always proved himself. You have to be work very hard at that, both physically and mentally, and he’s an the example to us all.”
“Clearly, Brian was an incredibly talented player when he first came onto the scene, given his ability to be able to turn on the brilliance and because he just wasn’t scared of making a mistake, which is what sets him apart from his peers. You could see when he played he was never worried, whereas another player might fear messing up and then have to face questions like ‘why did go for that or why did you do that?” That fear was never in Brian’s head.
“So while everyone will single Brain out for his exceptional talent, I like the fact he was a remarkable rugby player with sheer brilliance and without fear. Then later on in his career Brian reinvented himself. He went from being one of the most exciting attacking players on the pitch to the greatest defensive player out there. His defence became the best part of his game and that’s hard to believe, considering how good an attacking player he was.
“Brian’s defensive skills later on in his career really impressed me and some of the tackles he made were incredible. I can’t name the game but there was a match against South Africa and I remember Brian in the last minutes of the game making these two tackles. He hit one of the South African players, who was like six foot six inches tall, and running at full pace and Brian’s actually knocked this guy backwards in the tackle. They are the unique traits Brian brought to the game. Brian O’Driscoll is truly one of the few sporting heroes where he could travel to any other part of the rugby world and Brian would find his way into a starting line-up. So for another country to pick another player as the greatest in that position, they would pick Brian O’Driscoll and that’s standing the test of time.”
“I think Brian O’Driscoll single-handedly got more people playing the game of rugby in Ireland than anyone else. Back when he scored those three tries against France, I don’t think the sport was anywhere near as mainstream as it is now.
“He was the one that made the sport cool, he made it look easy — but aside from his talent was his fearlessness, and Irish people love that.
“You see it in the GAA, the guy who can make the big tackle or the big shoulder is loved and some of O’Driscoll’s tackles over the years were as important as they were brave. Also, his humility after winning or losing, was another thing that always impressed me. He’ll be sorely missed.”
“Seldom do we, in Ireland, get to celebrate a truly great world renowned sports person. Brian O’Driscoll falls into that category. What has been so intriguing about his career has been his late development.
“Few people would have had him down to reach such great heights when he was a student at Blackrock College in Dublin. Through hard work and determination he has raised the bar and created a benchmark for all others to strive for.
“His was not a prestigious talent bestowed on him like some lottery win, it manifested itself and evolved through hard work. He is now being rightlyacclaimed as one of the world’s greatest rugby players and I, for one, thank him for all the pleasure, enjoyment and sometimes heartache that he has given us in the blue shirt of Leinster, the green shirt of Ireland and of course the red shirt of the British and Irish Lions.”
“He was simply spectacular and probably the best player to ever represent Ireland. Basically, he was two steps ahead of everyone else and could see what was going to happen long before it happened.
“He went onto a pitch as second centre, number 13, but that told little of what he would do in a match.
“Brian could pop up anywhere and you often left a game thinking he played in as many as five different positions.”
“It was 1999 and I was playing my rugby in England with Harlequins and knew nothing at all about this kid when I turned up for an Irish squad session in Dublin. But we hadn’t been out on the field for very long when I realised that here was somebody very special indeed. He outshone everyone at every single thing he tried. It was phenomenal and I had an immediate regard for Brian.
“Even 14 years on, we still talk about his hat-trick of tries against France in 2000. Without his contribution, we’d have lost that day as well, as the score in our favour was only two points, 27-25. It had to be one of the greatest individual performances by any Irish player or indeed by anyone from any country. That performance made a huge difference to Irish rugby because after that I felt we always had the possibility of beating any side in the world, the All Blacks, Springboks, whoever, and that’s why I always felt we could have won the 2003 World Cup.
“What separated Brian from his peers? Well, one of the first things that struck me about him was that I felt he didn’t have great eyesight, he used to wear these huge glasses, lenses didn’t suit him and it was only in the last few years that he got laser treatment. So he always had to have great faith in himself, he trusted in himself and he never, ever second guessed himself, he backed himself every single time.
“He could step off both feet, attack a space, attack a ball... his passing has always been supreme. In some ways, I compare Brian with David Campese... when he lost his top pace, he had to heighten his other skills and that’s what Brian did as well. His rucking and poaching over the past few years have been amazing. There was only one season when he didn’t quite get there and that’s remarkable in such a long career.
“In 2002, Eddie O’Sullivan, our coach, asked me who should be Ireland’s captain when I was gone and Brian O’Driscoll came immediately to mind. He had to be the man and he did a magnificent job for 10 years.
“I can’t stress strongly enough how glad I am that he is going out at the height of his powers”.
“I have 100% admiration for Brian O’Driscoll. I think he’s the finest all-round sportsman our country has ever produced. The greatest measure of his worth to me is what his dressing room thinks of him. And all through the years that dressing room has loved him. In team sport, that’s the first place that tells you everything you need to know about somebody. There’s no higher praise than the regard of your peers. And when you hear what they say — and many of them are big, big players in their own right — about his influence, it marks him out as very special. And that influence then reverberates through to young people who see how someone can drive themselves so far and push themselves to absolute limits — and yet retain a warmth and a feel for what sport is all about. He understands the values. To me, he is an incredible example of what a true world-class sportsman should be. He’s also done it in one of the most physical sports. When you look back over his career, he has risen to the biggest challenges, been able to dig deep at times of need, defied the odds, bounced back from disappointments and, always, made people believe. Really, he’s done all the things a top sportsman can do at the highest level. And I just regard him as a huge inspiration.”
“Brian O’Driscoll, exudes an aura and energy that comes naturally to some athletes. Often they do not know they even have this power until someone tries to explain it to them. When Brian turns up on match day ready and prepared to give his best for Ireland, everyone on the team senses this and reacts in a way that brings out the best in each of them also. This is an energy and sense of positivity that cannot be created but is generated throughout the team and even into the stands to the supporters who can feel this energy and belief that anything is possible and allows Ireland to perform at such a high level.
“As captain, Brian is seen as the leader with such an intense, positive energy, vibe and aura surrounding him.
“I remember when I went to watch Ireland play Australia in New Zealand during the World Cup in 2011. I was there with a group mainly made up of Australians and they were so confident walking to the stadium in Auckland . However, when we entered the stadium in plenty time and saw the teams come out to warm up, I just knew Ireland were going to win this match.
“The intense energy and positive vibes felt throughout the stadium were so strong I had no doubt that Ireland would win this match.
“It is this energy and positive force that I am sure Brian O’Driscoll embeds in the dressing room. It is hard to break down the energy and belief that creates chances and opportunities to do the right things and win games.”
“I know him pretty well. For Ireland he has obviously been one of the best defenders we have ever had but of course as an attacker, what can you say? One of the first matches I ever saw him play was when he scored that hat-trick against France in Paris. But he is much more than that.
“He has always been an incredible talisman for Ireland and for Leinster. Obviously nowadays his defensive abilities are more of an advantage for the team he plays for rather than the attacking because he has probably just lost a little bit of pace. But in his prime he had everything. He was great going forward, his tackling was great and even against Wales this year, he got hit so hard and Scott Williams was out injured after it. He’s a warrior. I mean, he is not the biggest guy in the world but he is just so talented. Do I wish he was from Ulster? Well, it would have been nice to have him during those dark days in the 2000s but we are getting back there. It’s great that he is hanging up his boots after such a fitting end to his career in Paris.”
“I think that his consistency and attitude makes him stand out as one of the greats, not only in Ireland but in international rugby. He has definitely led by example down through the years and has been a magnificent ambassador for Ireland, both on and off the pitch.
“I played soccer for Ireland and I know how demanding international sport can be and the discipline and dedication that goes into representing your country.
“Rugby is a tough sport, it’s like boxing in that it is physically and mentally demanding and you have to be in peak condition at the top level. Brian O’Driscoll has managed to do that for so many years, He has been playing at the top level for so many years for Ireland and Leinster, it’s amazing. He works very hard on the field for the team.
“But then he shows the little touches of class that can make such a difference in important matches. Against Italy, for instance, he set up the three tries.
“It was fantastic Ireland won it out against France in Paris. That was the fitting end for one of Ireland’s greatest sportsmen.”
“In sport it’s often best to live by the rule that you are here for a good time, not a long time. When Brian O’Driscoll burst onto the international scene 15 years ago, this is how it looked. A young guy with an outrageous amount of talent who was loving every second of what he was doing. What has separated O’Driscoll is that he has broken that rule. The longevity of his career is astounding. The centres he played against that day are long retired. Imagine in 1999 if you had told people that Brian O’Driscoll would still be playing such a key role for Ireland in 2014, it would have seemed impossible. It’s hard to pin point exactly what has prolonged his career. Maybe it is his ability to adapt, as his career went on he adapted his game. In the last 15 years he has continued to leave centres in his wake since that famous day in Paris in 2000.
“How many players anywhere in world rugby have played for this period of time at this level? O’Driscoll is the exception.”
“I’ve great time for Brian O’Driscoll not only as a sportsman but as a person. I’ve met him a couple of times and he’s been an absolute gentleman. The man has class but toughness too, and what he has done in his career both for his country and province has been phenomenal. Rugby these days is like a series of mini car crashes and O’Driscoll has been in his fair share of them but he keeps coming back. I’ve never seen anybody like him playing so consistently at the top level since he started out to now, at the end of his international career. He’s special, a great ambassador for Ireland and any plaudits he is getting, he richly deserves.
“It’s a professional sport, it’s his job but it’s one he has done so well for so long. I don’t think in Gaelic football or hurling you would see a player declaring his final season just because it’s a different culture. I don’t think I would have been able to put up with ‘oh, this is your last game in Killarney’. But I’d like to wish him the best of luck. He’s been Ireland’s greatest player of all time. He’s a unique athlete and one that will be dearly missed.”
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