Brian O'Driscoll
Brian O'Driscoll
NationalityIrish
ProfessionAthlete
Date of Birth21 January 1979
CountryIreland
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.
retirement thinking months
If you start thinking about retirement in six months' time, you're already there.
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.
sweet good-day celebrate
You've to celebrate the good days because there are brutal days that make the good ones sweet.
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...
learnt second takes
One thing I learnt early on my career is that personal gratification takes second place.
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,
thinking training important
I think training and being dedicated is very important, but one aspect that I always live by is that I enjoy myself in what I do!
form
I think my form dipped after the Six Nations in 2007, from the World Cup onwards.
largely positive stick
If you stick around long enough and you do enough of the right things, you get seen in a largely positive light.
adrenalin allow bring game games head importance intensity level playing steps train
Games bring another level out in you. There is no way you can train to the same intensity when you are playing a game. It is just impossible. Your head won't allow you to do it. Because the adrenalin of a game and the importance of it steps it up to another level.
found people
I've always found when I was captain when other people were doing the talking for me, I didn't need to say as much, and when I did say one or two things, people tended to listen all the more.
adjusting fixed life next period player rugby
I've got my head fixed on the next part of life. I know there will be an adjusting period of just not being a rugby player for a while, and over that period I'll get my head around what the next challenge involves.