FERGUS MCFADDEN MAY have long term ambitions to replace Brian O’Driscoll in the Irish midfield but he was happy, on Saturday, to settle for his try-scoring cameo role off the bench.
The Leinster back came off the bench, amid a standing ovation and a cacophony of cheers, for man-of-the-match O’Driscoll in his final Test match in Ireland. He scored Ireland’s sixth try in a comprehensive 46-7 victory that sets them up for a championship decider in Paris next Saturday.
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“I said it to Alain Rolland, who was sending me on and changed the numbers, ‘this will be a nice cheer I’ll get when I come on, I imagine’,” remarked McFadden. “It was great for Brian. He holds a massive place in Irish hearts as a sportsman and as an icon for the country he has done so much for the game and it was a fitting finish that he wrapped up man of the match after 60 minutes as well. It was a great performance by him.”
McFadden went a step further this afternoon as he joked about the standing ‘O’ being for his arrival onto the pitch.
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While McFadden admitted it was ‘very satisfying’ to score his try, after a smart running line, he was happy to reflect further on the merits of O’Driscoll’s performance. “He created three tries, defended very well and a couple of key turnovers on the grounds, one in the second-half there when he got a bit of pressure off. He is still playing great stuff and it would be brilliant if we could just top it off with silverware. Personally I haven’t won anything in an Irish jersey and lots of us haven’t so we are well aware of that and it’s a massive challenge next week.” He added:
Brian has got a massive heart. People often go on about his silky skills and creating bits of genius which he does have but he has a massive heart and massive fight. If you have those things you can go a long way as being a successful rugby player.”
The 27-year-old has been happy to play on the wing with Leinster and Ireland this season but his last two outings, for club and country, have come at outside centre. The summer tour to Argentina will be the first opportunity for an Irish player to stake a claim to the jersey O’Driscoll has worn 132 times over 15 years.
“Everyone would look at some of the stuff he does and try to replicate it but I’ve got my own strengths I concentrate on,” said McFadden. “I don’t worry too much about what Brian is doing. I have learnt stuff from him over the years and he is great to play alongside.”
“I was talking to Brian during the week how strange [retirement talk] must be. Obviously he has his last two games for Ireland at international level but he does have the business end of a season for Leinster too. Strange, mixed feelings for him. There are plenty of games left in Brian so I don’t think we should panic just yet.”
McFadden hopes he, and his fellow substitutes, have given Joe Schmidt some selection headaches ahead of the Six Nations finalé but knows France will be looking to tear into whatever Irish XV the coach puts out. “They don’t give up losses to teams easily over there,” he warned.
Fergus McFadden thanks Irish fans for standing ovation after replacing BOD
FERGUS MCFADDEN MAY have long term ambitions to replace Brian O’Driscoll in the Irish midfield but he was happy, on Saturday, to settle for his try-scoring cameo role off the bench.
The Leinster back came off the bench, amid a standing ovation and a cacophony of cheers, for man-of-the-match O’Driscoll in his final Test match in Ireland. He scored Ireland’s sixth try in a comprehensive 46-7 victory that sets them up for a championship decider in Paris next Saturday.
“I said it to Alain Rolland, who was sending me on and changed the numbers, ‘this will be a nice cheer I’ll get when I come on, I imagine’,” remarked McFadden. “It was great for Brian. He holds a massive place in Irish hearts as a sportsman and as an icon for the country he has done so much for the game and it was a fitting finish that he wrapped up man of the match after 60 minutes as well. It was a great performance by him.”
McFadden went a step further this afternoon as he joked about the standing ‘O’ being for his arrival onto the pitch.
While McFadden admitted it was ‘very satisfying’ to score his try, after a smart running line, he was happy to reflect further on the merits of O’Driscoll’s performance. “He created three tries, defended very well and a couple of key turnovers on the grounds, one in the second-half there when he got a bit of pressure off. He is still playing great stuff and it would be brilliant if we could just top it off with silverware. Personally I haven’t won anything in an Irish jersey and lots of us haven’t so we are well aware of that and it’s a massive challenge next week.” He added:
The 27-year-old has been happy to play on the wing with Leinster and Ireland this season but his last two outings, for club and country, have come at outside centre. The summer tour to Argentina will be the first opportunity for an Irish player to stake a claim to the jersey O’Driscoll has worn 132 times over 15 years.
“Everyone would look at some of the stuff he does and try to replicate it but I’ve got my own strengths I concentrate on,” said McFadden. “I don’t worry too much about what Brian is doing. I have learnt stuff from him over the years and he is great to play alongside.”
“I was talking to Brian during the week how strange [retirement talk] must be. Obviously he has his last two games for Ireland at international level but he does have the business end of a season for Leinster too. Strange, mixed feelings for him. There are plenty of games left in Brian so I don’t think we should panic just yet.”
McFadden hopes he, and his fellow substitutes, have given Joe Schmidt some selection headaches ahead of the Six Nations finalé but knows France will be looking to tear into whatever Irish XV the coach puts out. “They don’t give up losses to teams easily over there,” he warned.
– Additional reporting by Murray Kinsella
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