O’Driscoll: Lowry win inspiration for Japan

Brian O’Driscoll believes Joe Schmidt’s Ireland team can take inspiration from Shane Lowry’s Open triumph as they seek to emulate the Offaly golfer by climbing higher than ever before on the world stage.

Lowry’s talent was never in doubt after he won the Irish Open as an amateur in Baltray 10 years ago but his successes since had been intermittent with the ebbs and flows of his career since spawning a great deal of discussion and no little hand-wringing among the game’s aficionados.