IRELAND CENTRE BRIAN O’DRISCOLL has set his sights high for the final year of his professional rugby career. During an appearance on the Late Late Show, O’Driscoll targeted a Six Nations Grand Slam and a victory over the world champion All Blacks in November.
Speaking to Ryan Tubridy on the RTÉ talk show, Ireland’s record try-scorer confirmed he would be hanging up his rugby boots at the end of the season. He insisted he would not be around for a fifth tilt at the World Cup, in 2015, before adding Ireland would not ‘have a bigger cheerleader than me if they get into the final’.
“It is going to be the last year but I don’t want it to be the long goodbye,” said O’Driscoll. The 34-year-old remarked that success had made him selfish, stressing a desire to win ever pot his club and country are in the mix for this season.
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Winning a Six Nations Grand Slam, he reasoned, is far from easy but capturing his second Six Nations crown is an achievable goal. Add that to the double — Pro12 and Heineken Cup — he wants to win with Leinster in 2014. Yet O’Driscoll is not finished there. He declared:
I get one more crack at the All Blacks and, please God, [Ireland coach] Joe Schmidt will think of me in terms of selection… No Irish team, no national team, has ever beaten them.”
O’Driscoll needed no reminding that Munster beat a touring All Blacks side in the 1978 and allowed himself to picture the plaudits that would await Ireland if they topple them at the Aviva Stadium next month.
O’Driscoll also touched on his experiences with the Lions during the summer, including his controversial axing. He brought his gumshield along to the Third Test against Australia in case Welsh centre Jamie Roberts pulled up with a late injury. “I thought the lads would think I was mental if brought my boots,” he joked.
Ultimately, he added, thoughts of his wife, Amy Huberman, and daughter, Sadie, brought him out of a brief period of sullen reflection. He said, “You have perspective when little people come into your life. You take the best things you have and let them overshadow your disappointment.”
Huberman, sitting in the Late Late audience, revealed she watched O’Driscoll and Ireland take on England from her hospital bed, hours after giving birth to Sadie earlier this year. The new mum was told to keep her voice down as she was bellowing in support of her husband in a busy Holles Street maternity ward.
Steve Coogan, Ryan Tubridy, Amy Huberman and Brian O’Driscoll pose backstage at the Late Late show. Credit: RTÉ — Maxwell
Head-to-head result decides Pool so Australia are through
Best Runner-up will need at least 10 match points + a better overall score difference if tied. NZ/SA both have 10 points in Pool C + score differences more than +60 ahead of Ireland’s [63 and 64 respectively]
So Ireland need NZ/SA to win convincingly and then to out score Italy by enough to make up the 60+ point gap less the NZ/SA points difference. So – if New Zealand beat South Africa by 20 clear points [+ deny them a try scoring bonus point], Ireland would need to beat Italy by 44 points
France v Argentina is also relevant. A French victory means that the best Runner-Up cannot come from Pool A. Both could finish on 11 points though if they get 1 and 5 points respectively from their match. In which case they would both qualify for the knock-out stages if either NZ or SA fail to get a losing point. If Argentina deny France any match points then France will finish with 10 match points and will have lost the game by at least a score difference of 8 so have on overall total of no better than 27. Ireland would have to beat Italy by 40 pointsto have that outcome covered….
@Jack Hackett: Are chances are slim after yesterday’s result. My understanding of it is that the winners of the three pools, plus the best runner up, all make it through to the next stage-which is the cup semi-final.
Ireland (5pts) are currently 5 match points behind Australia (10pts), plus a hefty score difference (64pts). We would need England to hammer Australia and Ireland to hammer Italy if we were going to top the group at this stage.
Both Argentina (6pts) and New Zealand (10pts) are in better positions to also get the best runner-up spot as things stand too.
@Jack Hackett: Unless it’s changed this year.. There’s usually also playoff games to determine each teams ranking from 5 to 12 with 12th place being relegated. I presume if Ireland finish 2nd in group but don’t reach the semis we’ll be in the 5th/ 6th place playoff. Open to correction though.
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Head-to-head result decides Pool so Australia are through
Best Runner-up will need at least 10 match points + a better overall score difference if tied. NZ/SA both have 10 points in Pool C + score differences more than +60 ahead of Ireland’s [63 and 64 respectively]
So Ireland need NZ/SA to win convincingly and then to out score Italy by enough to make up the 60+ point gap less the NZ/SA points difference. So – if New Zealand beat South Africa by 20 clear points [+ deny them a try scoring bonus point], Ireland would need to beat Italy by 44 points
France v Argentina is also relevant. A French victory means that the best Runner-Up cannot come from Pool A. Both could finish on 11 points though if they get 1 and 5 points respectively from their match. In which case they would both qualify for the knock-out stages if either NZ or SA fail to get a losing point. If Argentina deny France any match points then France will finish with 10 match points and will have lost the game by at least a score difference of 8 so have on overall total of no better than 27. Ireland would have to beat Italy by 40 pointsto have that outcome covered….
@Solon Harrison: Fair play to you
@Solon Harrison:
Would you be willing to do my Taxes :::PLEASE :) :) :) :)
Does anyone know if Ireland can still go further in this competition if they beat Italy ? Are there quarter finals or only semis?
@Jack Hackett: Are chances are slim after yesterday’s result. My understanding of it is that the winners of the three pools, plus the best runner up, all make it through to the next stage-which is the cup semi-final.
Ireland (5pts) are currently 5 match points behind Australia (10pts), plus a hefty score difference (64pts). We would need England to hammer Australia and Ireland to hammer Italy if we were going to top the group at this stage.
Both Argentina (6pts) and New Zealand (10pts) are in better positions to also get the best runner-up spot as things stand too.
@Jack Hackett: Unless it’s changed this year.. There’s usually also playoff games to determine each teams ranking from 5 to 12 with 12th place being relegated. I presume if Ireland finish 2nd in group but don’t reach the semis we’ll be in the 5th/ 6th place playoff. Open to correction though.
@Captain NerbNerb: Hasnt changed. All 12 teams play 5 games and the ranking games determine the pools for next years competition.