Of all the rugby legends ever to have played the game, few get more universal love than Ireland centre Brian O’Driscoll.
He played against the best from all over the world during his 15 year international career between 1999 and 2014, which saw the 42-year-old win 133 Ireland caps with a further eight for the British & Irish Lions.
Having gone into punditry in the last few years, he’s since become one of the most engaging on-screen personalities in the game.
However, in a brief look back, we take a look at what in his own words would be his dream XV with FOUR England players included.
BRIAN O’DRISCOLL DREAM XV:
BACK-THREE:
- 15. Jason Robinson (England)
- 14. Tommy Bowe (Ireland)
- 11. Jonah Lomu (New Zealand)
O’Driscoll on Robinson: “To get to see in close quarters what he was capable of. You see so much on a Saturday, but when you’re training and playing and watching players of that calibre leading up to a Saturday. You see some exceptional stuff that cameras don’t always catch.
“Jason, I knew so little of him in 2001 other than his rugby league talent. But to have a full appreciation of what his footwork was like, you need to defend against it, and it was horrible at times in training.
“I would’ve analysed him a lot as I played against him, he was equally comfortable on either foot, it made no difference to him. There was no preference on ball carry, you just could not work him out. He honed the ability to be unpredictable as well.
“He might’ve been a small guy, but he packed a serious punch too.”
O’Driscoll on Lomu: “No-one transcended the sport of rugby union quite like him; he was a force of nature with a blend of pace, power and size that has never before been seen, certainly in a winger. He had all the qualities you would aspire to in a hero.”
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