Farewell to O'Driscoll: Final game for the Irish legend

By Peter O’ Dwyer

There is a rugby match on in Donnybrook this evening, believe it or not – a final at that. Leinster and Glasgow will pit their collective wits against each other in the hope of claiming the final piece of silverware of the season.

While enough to pack Leinster’s home ground to the rafters in itself, the match is somewhat secondary in the minds of many neutrals at least. Come the final ten minutes, the crowd too will likely have one man on their mind.

In an era where broadcasters, media, fans and all and sundry are accused of over-hyping sporting occasions, it’s hard to fit Brian O’ Driscoll’s departure into that category. He has, after all, been our greatest player of the professional era; probably, our greatest ever. And tonight marks the final time we get to see him in action.

His brother-in-arms and club captain Leo Cullen is also hanging up his boots after tonight’s Pro 12 final. As the first man to captain a team to three Heineken Cup victories and with 32 caps for Ireland, three Celtic league titles and a Guinness Premiership medal to his name, it has undoubtedly been a fine career the lock has enjoyed.

On any other day, tonight would be his occasion — but alas it’s really only about one man this evening.

For 15 years, the Clontarf man has inspired awe in those lucky enough to see his genius. No other sportsperson’s retirement in this country could or would have commanded such universal recognition in the national psyche.

It has been the longest of goodbyes, from his last game on home turf for Ireland to his victorious final game in a green jersey; his final Heineken Cup appearance and now his final ever appearance.

It’s as if the nation subconsciously decided that many small goodbyes would be easier borne than a single farewell. If the only way out of sporting grief is through it, the rugby public have certainly waded deep in recent months.

YouTube videos of the great man in action have no doubt seen significant spikes in traffic in that time as people try take it all in and re-live their memories, of which there are many.

Everyone has their favourite: the hat-trick in Paris, the gorgeous try at The Gabba, his finish in the corner against the Aussies in ’03, the behind the back pass to Sexton against Munster in 2011 and again against Italy in his penultimate Ireland appearance, or countless others.

It truly has been a highlight reel of a career – but one marked not just by talent, jaw-dropping skill and sublime finishing but by toughness of mind and body, and perseverance.

It’s largely overlooked now, but for a time it seemed as if O’ Driscoll’s powers might be on the wane; that he was a spent force or fast approaching it.

As he changed from the pacey attacker that he made his reputation as to a more rounded centre, a move that ultimately prolonged his career, there was a period of transition where his form slumped; people questioned his on-going captaincy of the Irish side, whether he would be deserving of a place on the Lions tour of 2009 and, in some quarters, whether he was deserving of his previously undisputed place in the green of Ireland.

As always, much of that talk was hyperbolic; people rushing to an ill-thought out judgement and delivering it without much consideration, but I must admit that at one stage I began to wonder if he’d ever be the same again.

Whilst watching the Ireland squad going through a light session indoors at the University of Limerick arena in late 2008 or early 2009, I wondered if the cumbersome movements of the man standing below me were now his norm; whether the speed of thought that had marked him apart could no longer be translated by his body into movements of equal pace. In short, I wondered if his body had begun to fail him.

Typical of the man, I was soon proven wrong.

The 2009 Grand Slam-winning Six Nations was the rejuvenation of O’ Driscoll. Since then he has sealed what is undoubtedly one of the greatest legacies in the history of the sport.

Three Heineken Cups; one Amlin Cup; four triple crowns; two Six Nations Championships – one of which was a Grand Slam; four Lions tours – one as captain and one, crucially, as a winner; the all-time Six Nations try-scorer; Ireland’s all-time try-scorer; the most capped international player of all time; and three Celtic Leagues to date, are testament to that.

After suffering perhaps the biggest setback of his career in being dropped for the final Lions test of 2013, he responded again – going on to Six Nations glory with Ireland this year.

Setback, perseverance, redemption – a familiar pattern.

In truth, while the stats provide hard facts for our generation to roll out when the next has their hero they claim to be the greatest, it’s the countless individual memories of a line ran here or tackle made there; of an intercept try or cheeky grubber; or of him climbing to his feet when yet again it seemed his race was run for the day that we will really remember him by.

A scything runner, deft passer, brilliant defender and brute of a tackler – O’ Driscoll had it all and through him, so did we.