BRIAN O’DRISCOLL IS ready for part two of his season-long farewell to Irish rugby, but he’s well aware of the challenges that will follow once he steps outside of his Leinster squad.
Against Edinburgh in the RDS this weekend, O’Driscoll will play what, he hopes, will be his third last match with the Leinster harp on his chest.
Post-match the province he has served for 15 years plan to give himself and captain Leo Cullen a fitting send-off so as not to distract from the bigger challenges ahead in the Pro12 semi-final and potential final.
He’s not complaining about the attention, but he continues to be a little embarrassed by the fanfare and the countdown that surrounds his every game.
“It doesn’t bother me too much, I’d say everyone else is fed up of it,” O’Driscoll said at Leinster’s UCD base today.
‘It’ll be hard’
“That’s what happens when you get asked a question back in September or October and I gave an honest answer rather than dragging it out. I was honest and so begins the long goodbye.”
For now, he is fully focused on the few fixtures ahead, whoever they should be against, but he has also earmarked exactly how he wants to plug out from the world of professional rugby.
“It’ll be hard. That’s why during the summer I plan on taking a few months completely off, just getting used to not being a rugby player and seeing what it feels like to be totally out of a team environment.
“Leo [Cullen] will have his four or five week holiday – knowing him he probably won’t even take the whole lot and come back early – and get stuck into things. I’m going to take a complete break.”
O’Driscoll briefly pricked the ears of every listening journalist when he suggested that there had been “discussions about some involvement in the club” in future. However, he soon corrected the record, saying there had been no formal talk of a future role, but that he is struggling to imagine life without any association with the eastern province.
“This is your bread and butter. You’ve got a lot of very close friends in your province. Yes you develop friendships in the national setup – here; we’re together the rest of the time too.
“We have the same holiday time, we often holiday together, we have the same days off and meet up for lunch together. We spend a lot of time in each other’s pockets so we really get a chance to know each other.
“Yes, there are a lot of colleagues, but also a lot of friends here. Some have gone to pastures new, but plenty will remain here beyond me.
“It’ll be hard to leave all that behind but it’s part and parcel of what we do.”
Nah BOD, you are alright. You aren’t an attention seeking hoor like most other celebs. However, I am sick of the media milking it
Media Mille everything……
I would happily have the goodbyes to continue until after the World Cup next year.
Yep. Sicken us for another two seasons or so… We’ll suffer it!
Yes Brian, just go away already u absolute pain in the.a$$
Jealousy is an awful thing
Your right Brian, I am
Irish rugby is about to lose one of its BEST players over the coming weeks. Let BoD enjoy what is left of it….
Yea you right Brian, that fake posh tone is annoying.
Why all the nays, I don’t mind posh people, Rachael Allen is posh but she has the etiquette to compliment it. BOD is all roish, dish or dash, sasherday but eats and walks like a commoner its annoying.
That’s called an accent everyone has one
Yes your right, but pretentious ones are the worst.
He comes across very well and articulate I have always thought that . Represents Ireland well and will on media stage to in retirement
Chippy
Zzzzzz zzzzzz yawn zzzzzz
Would love it to be a longer goodbye BOD after the World Cup
Hay ain’t dan carter and macaw around the the same age as BOD? Hope they inspire him to another year, his leave will leave a huge black hole in that 13 channel talk all you want with respect about Payne and henshaw but no one comes close to the legend that is BOD
One more year
Superb player but I wish the media would tone it down a bit. During the 6 nations their going on was nauseating.
“Post-match the province he has served for 15 years plan to give himself and captain Leo Cullen a fitting send-off so as not to distract from the bigger challenges ahead in the Pro12 semi-final and potential final.”
TheJournal.ie is going down hill. There is no punctuation at all, in the quoted paragraph. It’s laughable, when you think about it.
It’s a free service . Cut a bit of slack mate
As Paul Brady once said…
This is the long goodbye.
Somebody tell me why,
Two lovers in love can’t make it,
Just what kinda love keeps breakin’ a heart
No matter how hard I try, Your gonna make me cry
Come on baby, it’s over…let’s face it
All that’s happenin’ here is a long goodbye.
Enjoy retirement BOD, a true Irish legend.
I hate rugby, & I especially detest him & his “butter wouldn’t melt” wife, they make me sick.
Sounds like you wouldn’t melt much butter either….whatever the orifice!!!
Yeah….get on with it Captain Stamptastic!
Jeez will he ever just go. He WAS one of our greatest! He’s heading for 35 and spun out. It’s getting unbearable so see his smug puss on every corner. Just go and stop promoting your P.R. Company!