O'Driscoll eyeing Leinster return by end of season

As Paul O’Connell gets ready to lead Ireland in their opening Six Nations clash against Wales on Sunday (3pm), injured captain Brian O’Driscoll hopes to maintain the progress he has shown in his rehabilitation to date.

O’Driscoll has been out of action since November after he made the decision to get an operation on a trapped nerve in his shoulder which had been affecting the centre for the best part of a year.

While he managed to endure the 2011 World Cup campaign with the injury, consultation with medical experts saw the Irish captain opt for surgery which was set to rule him out for a minimum of six months.

Despite predictions that the Leinster star wouldn’t feature for the rest of the season, O’Driscoll has expressed his satisfaction with his progress and hopes to play some part in Leinster’s season.

“Things are progressing very nicely and I’m hoping to have some playing involvement with Leinster before the end of the season,” O’Driscoll wrote in his O2 Diary today.

“There have been peaks and troughs mentally on the rehabilitation road but I’m energised by the prospect of being able to play again and over the next few weeks stepping up the levels in training to incorporate skills work.

“I have to be sensible but the body is responding positively. In fact the enforced layoff has been hugely beneficial in offsetting the wear and tear of high level rugby over a sustained period of time.

“I feel very fresh and the only minor quibble on my part in my desire to get back playing is that a two month rest would have been preferential to the six month injury sabbatical.”

Pleased as he is with his rehabilitation, there’s no doubting that O’Driscoll would give anything to be involved on Sunday but he’ll have to settle for a place in the stands, a transition which he admits is hard to adjust to.

“It feels strange not to be involved in the Six Nations Championships. I’m intrigued by how the boys are getting on in camp, about new game plans and the re-jigged coaching structure.

“I will be at the Wales game on Sunday because I was kindly given two tickets by Philip Browne for the Presidential box; I’m going to have to tone it down vocally, which will be a real challenge, because I get animated watching matches.”