THE BRIAN O’DRISCOLL ‘One More Year’ campaign team have the summer to regroup at HQ and work on a strategy to get the inspirational talisman to stick around for the 2015 World Cup.
The temptation, following an initial period of glee, when O’Driscoll announced his contract extension, was to consult a 2014 calendar. The World Cup takes place in Britain from September 2015. What’s another 15 months between a legend and his fans?
Jamie Heaslip, who will captain Leinster against Stade Francais in Friday’s Challenge Cup Final, declared O’Driscoll, for club and country, was a great guy to have around.
Heaslip expanded, “He’s fantastic for bringing younger players through, giving them his time and setting a tremendous example in training and how he approaches the game. It’s fantastic to have him around for another year. He just adds another dimension to our game and has a wealth of experience as well.”
“You never know,” Heaslip said, “he might go another year after this.”
Joe Schmidt and Jamie Heaslip at today’s press briefing. (©INPHO/Lorraine O’Sullivan)
O’Driscoll commented, last week, that he would dearly wish to leave the sport ‘on my own terms’ and, while a Six Nations championship title or Grand Slam win would be memorable, a fifth World Cup campaign would be within touching distance. Should O’Driscoll, who would be 36 at the World Cup, signed a two-year deal to halt further speculation?
“You can just go ahead and suggest that to him,” Schmidt told TheScore.ie, “that would be just fine. That would see him, just about, through to the next World Cup; that might be handy.
I’ve no doubt that this time next year, we may be saying the same thing. I guess he’ll have to try and convince [wife] Amy and little Sadie [daughter] of that because I think, inevitably, that always puts a slightly different equilibrium into people’s lives.”
Schmidt added, “In the short term, I’m delighted he’s here for one. I’ll take that at this stage. Hopefully that one goes really well for him.”
C’mon Leinster, let’s put this bogey team behind us and try for an all irish quarter final!
Poor delusional ospreys, they need to raise their game 5 levels just to avoid being killed in the collision areas, too many of them will be thinking of wealthy courtiers abroad to bother showing up against an impressive Leinster set up
Well… It hasn’t stopped them kickin our asses in previous seasons!
Not gona be easy(it never is against The Ospreys) but confident we will get the result required to get a last 8 spot. Both teams have good strong teams named so will be a good game as always when these two teams take the field.
get on leinster too win with bonus pts. ospreys have nothing too play for but leinster have all too play for. prob have 3 tries by h/t. and 3 more by full.
Phil are you ok?
never better just pissed that no matter what happens this weekend the frenchies will all get home Q/F’s. ye will get 5 pts and we will get 4 i think. and you n me agree that sean cronin is m..k but that strauss is some push on too ireland/leinster.
I never thought I’d live to see the day that Philip wrote a comment without abusing Leinster. Great to see, best of luck to all 4 provinces this weekend.
What is it four or five Lions in the pack. Hopefully Leinster will win but with Poite on the whistle anything could happen
All AB’s motto, ” your never a failure until you start blaming someone else”.