Brian O'Driscoll
Brian O'Driscoll
NationalityIrish
ProfessionAthlete
Date of Birth21 January 1979
CountryIreland
change last mean
Just because you lost your last game doesn't mean you change anything.
facet lower muscles send
It's happened a couple of times in training when I hyper-extend my back. Some facet joints send all the muscles in my lower back and lumbar-spine into spasm.
few grasp last life sudden switch third
When you've done something for more than a third of your life, your whole adult life, and then all of a sudden you're going to have to switch off and say, 'No more,' you want to grasp as much of it and enjoy the last few years of it as much as you can. Because you can't get those years back.
case trying work
You never sit on your laurels. It is always a case of trying to work on your deficiencies as much as working on your strengths.
good home life model people plenty rest role sit sports though
If you can be a good role model for people, well, great. You try and live your sporting life and the rest of your life as well as you can, and if it's something that people admire, well, fantastic. I don't sit at home and think about it too much, though - there's plenty of other things in my life going on.
five life lucky managing settled took understand
For me, it took five years to understand what professionalism meant. But I'm more settled now. I'm married, life changes, and I've been lucky in managing my injuries.
athletes becoming english huge opposed pass players room throw weights whether
I'm not privy to the English set-up, but at the academies in Ireland, there is a huge focus on the weights room as opposed to whether they can throw a 10-metre pass on the run. They should be rugby players becoming athletes, not athletes becoming rugby players.
defeats definitely
As you get older, the defeats become more painful. They definitely hurt more.
expression sums
Was I speared? I think so. Slam-dunked is probably the expression which sums it up best,
games want lasts
It's 45 minutes after the game right now and I still don't want to take this jersey off. That's because I know that when I do it'll be for the last time...
sweet good-day celebrate
You've to celebrate the good days because there are brutal days that make the good ones sweet.
summer disappointment careers
Last summer was probably the biggest disappointment of my career, but now I have something bad with which to balance the good. I will no longer take anything for granted.
sports team years
I love going out every day and training and being part of the team, and having friendships built up over a number of years. It's those aspects of sport that I feel are really important.
retirement thinking months
If you start thinking about retirement in six months' time, you're already there.