GORDON D’ARCY AND Brian O’Driscoll will kick off their 10th season as Ireland’s first-choice centre partnership this Saturday and break a world record in the process.
The Leinster duo will start in the Irish midfield, against Wales, for the 48th time.
They made their first appearance at inside [D'Arcy] and outside [O'Driscoll] centre on 22 February 2004 against the Welsh at Lansdowne Road.
Ireland were comfortable winners that day and O’Driscoll was on the scoresheet. A repeat performance would be most welcome by Irish supporters on Saturday at the Millennium Stadium.
The D’Arcy and O’Driscoll combination was de rigueur by the time current Ireland captain Jamie Heaslip made his international debut, in 2006.
“It’s amazing,” he told TheScore.ie.
“Maybe we should let them walk onto the pitch holding hands; have a ceremony for them.” Heaslip added:
It’s an incredible achievement for them and a testament to both players; how well they work individually and as a team. When you back that up with how often they have played at Leinster together, it’s amazing.
“They must know each other so well, it’s ridiculous.”
Different voices
While D’Arcy has been in a rich vein of form over the past two months, O’Driscoll is just three games into a comeback from an ankle injury.
His injury niggles [O'Driscoll missed last year's Six Nations] were one of the main factors Declan Kidney cited when he kept Heaslip on as Irish captain.
“The dynamic between me and him hasn’t changed at all,” Heaslip insisted.
I doubt he’s going to talk any less. We’ve got a lot of guys in the squad that are not afraid to voice their opinion. That’s the way it has been for a couple of years now.
“I’ve been captain of Brian at Leinster and I know well that he talks, regardless, like everyone else.”
“I’m sure he’s going to be quite focused on his job and what he brings to the game.”
*Wales v Ireland kicks off at 1:30pm on Saturday and TheScore.ie will be reporting on all the live action.
Holding hands?
Do ya think he was trying Humor, normally people together that long get married hence the holding hands and ceremony. Do ya think maybe he was just havin a laugh. Homophobs starting to panic “Gay” is getting into rugby. Gareth Thomas one of the best sportsman to take to the field and one of the toughest men around aswell(was gonna use hardest around but thought better)
It’s a great idea on lots of levels. I hope that this doesn’t disturb the homophobes too much!! Real men are not insecure about their sexuality or how their actions look to bigots
Holding Hands…a sort of Irish haka ..I’m sure Wales would be really scared by it
Well they are Ladyboys…..?
2 Zimmer frames
As a munster fan you shame is all Elrat get a life son.
Elrat. You’re a trolling pain in the arse
Combined age – 67 – free travel for both!
They’ve had lots of free travel, London, Paris, Rome, cardiff, Edinburgh, the states, Australia, new Zealand , south Africa the list of free travel is endless elrat.
Did he really just say that ? he shouldn’t be captain, hes too soft, hes too much of a p**sy ,” , and a total shaper, holding hands “,,,,,
Lighting up . He said it lightheartedly..
Rugby players don’t hold hands , I thought they were Real Men..
All that groping and grappling? Not to mention where heads and hands are positioned in the Scrum!
He’d want to go and eat a few spoons of cement and harden up !
“Bigger tackles and softer hands….”
I’ll just leave this link here!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTpXymuwxNs