Ireland’s Brian O’Driscoll was one of the best players of his generation. When he retired in 2014 he had won almost every major title available as well as being one of the highest-scoring players in international rugby history.
Why was Brian O’Driscoll so good? Brian O’Driscoll was so good because he was incredibly creative and powerful in attack as well as fierce in defence. O’Driscoll was also a brilliant leader and Ireland would not have been as successful without him.
There are quite a few reasons why Brian O’Driscoll was so good. One of the main reasons was he was so difficult to tackle in attack. The reason why O’Driscoll was able to score 47 international tries was that in attack O’Driscoll could glide past defenders, as well as being able to create attacking opportunities for others.
Much of the success that Ireland had in attack in the 2000s was down to the brilliance of Brian O’Driscoll. Often he was able to spot a gap and accelerate through it or find the pass that put the attack in motion. He is still the Six Nations All-time Top try scorer with 26 tournament tries.
While his brilliance in attack might have been the outstanding quality of his game, O’Driscoll was still an exceptional defender. He was a man never afraid of contract and so would often be up against the opposition’s best attacker. He was able to cover space really well and was not afraid of making the tough tackles.
One of the things that made O’Driscoll so good was that he was a phenomenal leader. He was quite often the vocal leader of the Irish squad and often spoke before games to get the team going. He captained Ireland countless times and led them to a lot of team success during that time.
What made O’Driscoll so special is that he was a brilliant all-round player. He did not really have any weak points and was incredibly reliable. It is why O’Driscoll played so many internationals, as well as playing for the British and Irish Lions on four different tours, including captaining the side for the 2005 tour.
How many Six Nations did Brian O’Driscoll win?
Brian O’Driscoll is one of the best rugby players in Irish history. He had a huge amount of success with Ireland as well as being the Six Nations All-time leading try scorer.
Brian O’Driscoll won two Six Nations when he was playing for Ireland. The first came in 2009 in one of the best teams in Six Nations history. Heading into the competition, O’Driscoll was Ireland’s captain. His try in the first game against France helped Ireland begin with a 30-21 win over France.
The second round saw Ireland cruise past Italy before facing a very tough test against England. O’Driscoll scored a try as well as slotting a drop goal which would be crucial in Ireland’s 14-13 victory. He was again crucial when Ireland defeated Scotland in Round 4.
It all led to a massive game where Wales were looking to upset Ireland and prevent them from getting the Grand Slam. O’Driscoll opened the scoring for the Irish side thanks to a try in the second half and it led them past Wales in another tight game. He was named Six Nations Player of the Year as Ireland won the Grand Slam.
There is no doubt that O’Driscoll’s role changed before the 2014 Six Nations. He was one of the leaders of a younger squad and was crucial to the motivation of the team. O’Driscoll certainly did not have the same incredible performances in this championship compared to 2009.
It was clear by this point that Johnny Sexton was Ireland’s star player, but O’Driscoll was still crucial in attack and defence. He played the full 80 minutes in the final game of the tournament when Ireland defeated France in Paris. It prevented England from winning the Six Nations as Ireland ran out 22-20 victors.
This ended up being the final game of O’Driscoll’s international career and he later described it as the perfect way to end that career.
Who is Ireland’s leading try scorer?
Ireland have had some brilliant try scorers in the history of the national team. But only one man has the record for the most tries.
Brian O’Driscoll is Ireland’s leading try scorer in international rugby. In his phenomenal career, he scored 46 tries in 133 caps which is by far the most in Irish history. O’Driscoll could cut through defensive lines with ease and he was also with the national team for such a long time that his longevity helped him get the record.
O’Driscoll’s current record is eleven more than any other player has been able to get. Keith Earls is next on the list, with him currently having 35 tries, although he may continue to score tries in the future for Ireland. Guys like Mack Hansen, James Lowe and Jacob Stockdale could also threaten O’Driscoll’s record.
But the longevity that O’Driscoll had is going to make it very difficult for anyone to break that record. He was with the national team for 15 years and it is why he is also the nation’s current top appearance maker.
Was Brian O’Driscoll ever World Player of the Year?
Brian O’Driscoll had an incredibly successful rugby career and he is regarded as one of the best players to ever play the sport.
Despite that, Brian O’Driscoll never won World Rugby Player of the Year in his career. He was nominated for the award three times. The first two nominations came in back-to-back years around the start of his career.
O’Driscoll was nominated for World Player of the Year in 2001 and 2002. In 2001 he lost out to fellow countryman Keith Wood. A year later it was French Scrum-half Fabien Galthie who beat O’Driscoll to the award.
In 2009, O’Driscoll lost out by just a single vote to All-Blacks Flanker Richie McCaw. It was difficult for O’Driscoll as he had been instrumental in Ireland winning the Grand Slam and certainly looked like the best player in the world.