Ireland have been planning BOD succession for nine months

Joe Schmidt has been building Ireland’s new dynasty of outside centres to replace Brian O’Driscoll for nine months.

Head coach Schmidt said Ireland have tried to “bleed as much as we can” out of iconic centre O’Driscoll in his final moments on the international scene.

Schmidt wants to keep O’Driscoll close to the national set-up until the 35-year-old retires fully in the summer, following his 141st and final Test as Ireland saw off France 22-20 to claim the RBS 6 Nations title.