BRIAN O’DRISCOLL’S EVENING in Brisbane began with him shaking his head, twice, as James O’Connor lined up two early penalties that he conceded. O’Connor missed them left and wide.
His last duty of the game was to watch Leigh Halfpenny run the ball dead, seconds after he was forced to stand and watch Kurtley Beale line up a last-minute penalty. Beale missed, left and wide, with a slip thrown in for good measure.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the Lions 23-21 victory over the Wallabies, O’Driscoll said, “Hearts in the mouth at the end, obviously, and we probably should have lost it with those to [Beale] penalties. I felt that we didn’t deserve to and were two points better than that side.
“We didn’t get much luck in the game. Deflected kicks and kicks that went askew seemed to go their way. We got our luck at the end.”
The early concession of two penalties at the breakdown, by Kiwi referee Chris Pollock, had the Irish centre cursing. It did not stop him from putting in the hard work at the breakdown, chasing down kicks and connecting with the 11 tackles he attempted [a team high]. “There’s been some frustration with [the penalties],” O’Driscoll admitted.
Certainly, I felt I was on the right side of the laws with it. He thought otherwise and penalised me twice. Thankfully, James O’Connor missed those two early on but that’s something we’ve got to work on and our interpretation of [the breakdown]. We’ll see if we can get better for next week.”
O’Driscoll remarked that it was fantastic to have Alex Cuthbert and George North as huge scoring threats and Aussie evaders out wide but stressed the importance of the rest of the backline running the right lines to make space out wide. O’Driscoll, cannily, ran a dummy line straight into O’Connor to make room for Cuthbert’s crucial second try. The Television Match Official scrutinised it but the try stood after the Welsh winger bust through four gold jerseys.
O’Driscoll celebrates with Cuthbert. (©INPHO/Dan Sheridan)
O’Driscoll and Jonny Sexton stepped up when it was needed in the closing stages and the centre revealed that the tactic was simple – play the game, as much as possible, in the Australian half. The Lions defence, he argued, was fairly in control despite the blows of Israel Folau’s double dot-down.
Points scoring chances and setpieces in the Aussie 22 were squandered, he added, which made the challenge nigh on impossible as the clock ticked down to red and dead. Beale’s slip proved costly, however, and O’Driscoll had his first Lions Test win in 12 years.
He declared, “Personal doesn’t count for anything. I spoke to the lads and I’ve been in this situation before.” The hard work, he added, begins now.
Defo one of the true gentlemen left in the game he is a class act on and off field
@43 major trophies:
Yes.Fantastic gesture.One of the good guys.
Nice to see a footballer that still has his feet on the ground well done
@mark kenny: Agreed that it’s a nice gesture but footballers on massive wages should be in a position to give more. Even a guy on €500 per week, whatever his profession, could easily afford to donate €5 to charity. The per centage of wages donated should be left for each individual player to decide. I’m sure 1% of Neymar’s wages would be a tidy sum.
Defiantly a nice gesture.. But it won’t changing the world that’s for sure.. But the message will surely resonate. If only every professional footballler done this every year or every so often.. Doubt they’ll miss or need that 1% of their wages.
@Acedeuce: 1% of 1million is 10Gs and I’d imagine he’s on a hell of a lot more than that year.Imagine how far that would go in places like Mumbai
@Jamie: you’d definitely go far with that money in India.. Anyone with a decent wage in Ireland would get on well India as long as you don’t mind watching very rich people mix and completely ignore child poverty, rape, child trafficking, disease and plenty more.. But other than that you’d live like a king
@Acedeuce: what are you on about?who said anything about living there?i just pointed out that the 1% he donates would change a lot of people’s worlds who live in poor countries.Stop being a grump
@Acedeuce: maybe thats what he means? To provoke every top earner to do the same?
And i do think that most alreay donate quite a lot.
@Jamie: you said how far 10gs would go in India.. You didn’t say how far 10g would go for people in dire poverty .. But yeah it would do plenty. But I’d have to hand the money over to personally, nobody in there right mind would trust the Indian government.. They’re able to spend billions on space programmes and send stuff into space but yet can’t feed their own people..
@Acedeuce: did you even read the article as to why I referenced Mumbai as an example?
One of the few good guys left in a sick environment after the way the game has gone
@ClydaMan: have a pint and cheer up ffs
What a nice guy , if every footballer did this I’d have more respect for them. 1% is nothing to these lads but what a great gesture fair play to him, hopefully more follow
Even when he scores a screamer against your club he’s the kind of player you couldn’t dislike. Fair play to him.
Haven’t non-profit organisation FIFA got over a BILLION dollars on deposit in Switzerland? Surely they can take care of grass roots football. Fair play to Mata, but why not help world poverty in a more general sense…
@Fionn Falcao: they are a registered charity believe it or not, one that makes money from getting countries to bid to host a world cup then also get the winning country to pay for brand new stadiums for said world cup while whipping up the majority of the profit!!
@Fionn Falcao: FIFA have given millions to streetfootballworld, the NGO running this charity.
@John Buckley: I should hope so John. Considering they have over USD$1,000,000,000 held in reserve
@Fionn Falcao: so you agree. They have done good? What’s with your one sided post earlier so?
Class act senor mata. Love it.
You won’t change the world but you will change alot of lives. Fair play
Nice one Juan
The guy is pure class
Should call it the “Juan percent” scheme
You wouldn’t see Sturridge make a statement like this. Class from Mata.
@Matt Taylor: why single one player out?
@Matt Taylor: Sturridge has set up a charity in his own name. Most footballers are generous enough but like above very unfair to single out individuals
@Matt Taylor: ahh sorry. You had another post in a different article where i thought you were making a point, scrolling down to this article it just seems you’re a knob
Sure 1% is nothing. I’m giving nearly 60% of everything i earn to a group with severe learning difficulties who can’t tell left from right not to mind wrong from right and are really just an advertisement for repealing the 8th.
@Ruairi O’Bric: that was probably funnier in your head
Team rivalries aside.. as football fans i think we can all agree that Mata’s a proper lad
I think the two line dancers could take a close look at how a real pro does it.
Could change it ten times over if he gave 10%! However. Still generous compared to many of us.
@Michael Ahern: There it is. Took a while.
@Michael Ahern: And he could change even more lives if he donated 50% of his wages Michael. You just couldn’t leave it at that could you,had to get the dig in.
@An Observer: I was going to write a big long paragraph on why he’s being an idiot but that’s fairly obvious why. It’s all relative Michael so are you donating 1%.. or 10%?
@Michael Ahern: yeah he earns a lot and 1% is nothing in the grand scheme of things. What is something is that he also gives to other charities in a more meaningful way. He also has a family immediate and maybe extended that he provides for, plus a footballer was protect themselves financially for their future after football. How many players just disappear into obscurity after there career ends?