O'Driscoll keen on Triple Crown

Brian O’Driscoll insists Ireland must never feel indifferent towards the Triple Crown even though they litter the champions’ recent past.

The title holders enter their RBS 6 Nations finale against Scotland at Croke Park needing victory to complete their fifth clean sweep of the home unions in seven years.

Mathematically they can still retain the championship, but would require England to halt France’s Grand Slam march at the final hurdle while somehow overhauling a points difference of 50.

Instead, they appear destined to finish in second place for the sixth time this decade – a consistency that has led to their run of Triple Crowns.

Before 2004, however, they had claimed just five in their history with their last breakthrough arriving in 1985, with gaps of 49 and 33 years dividing other vintage seasons.

Irish rugby is currently enjoying a boom period topped to date by last year’s Grand Slam, but O’Driscoll insists it is crucial not to forget the lean times.

“(Coach) Declan Kidney mentioned he’s gone through a couple of decades when Ireland haven’t experienced a Triple Crown,” said Ireland’s skipper.

“This team isn’t blase about the enormity of winning silverware in any way shape or form.

“It’s a common goal to win silverware whenever we can. That opportunity presents itself this weekend.

“I recognised the enormity of the Triple Crown when we won the first won in 2004 because of the long time since we’d won one before then.

“You always set your targets as high as you can in trying to achieve the ultimate which is the Grand Slam.

“When you can’t achieve that the next best thing is the championship or the Triple Crown.

“Sometime goals have to be reassessed mid-season and after we lost to France we had to do that.

“We put ourselves in a position to still win something that we’ve targeted.

“The squad is far from blase – to be so would be disrespectful to those Ireland players who spilt a lot of blood over the years but failed to win a Triple Crown.”

In the aftermath of Saturday’s 27-12 victory over Wales, Kidney stressed the value of the Triple Crown and stated Ireland must view their battle with the Scots as a final.

“Putting this match in the context of being a final is bang on. That’s exactly how we need to approach it – as a one-off,” agreed O’Driscoll.

“If we put in the performance we feel we still have in us we can obtain another piece of silverware.”

Ireland’s final assault on the Triple Crown coincides with their last match at Croke Park before relocating to the rebranded Lansdowne Road, the Aviva Stadium, in the autumn.

GAA headquarters have hosted four successful years of Test rugby with a symbolic 43-13 rout of England amid the setting of ’Bloody Sunday’ the highlight.

Last year’s precious defeat of France and the treasured scalp of world champions South Africa, claimed in November, were also special moments.

“We feel extremely privileged to have been allowed onto the hallowed soil of the GAA,” said O’Driscoll.

“I grew up playing a lot of Gaelic football in my youth. Every Irish person is aware of their heritage and the GAA is part of that.

“It’s been an absolute honour to have played there for the last four years.”

O’Driscoll is expected to resume his centre partnership with Gordon D’Arcy at Croke Park on Saturday, though a dead leg could yet force out his Leinster colleague.

D’Arcy sustained bruising above the left knee against Wales and will be given a fitness test this week with Paddy Wallace on standby to deputise.