“So yeah, I was like ‘do I need to put it into third gear from second gear.”
Our second episode in our ‘Milestones’ series is now live, and this week we welcome one of Ireland’s greatest ever sportsmen, Brian O’Driscoll.
He sat down with SportsJOE to discuss iconic photos from his career and the stories behind them. You watch our first episode with Kevin Cassidy here.
The Leinster, Ireland, and Lions centre was considered one of the best players in the world for over a decade, winning multiple European Cup and Six Nations titles as captain for club and country.
That first Heineken Cup with Leinster is best remembered for the sold-out semi-final clash with Munster at Croke Park.
Leinster’s provincial rivals had already beaten them in the 2006 semis at Landsdowne Road and were two-time champions themselves.
With 60 minutes gone, Leinster were 12 points ahead but Munster were threatening just 22 metres out. Up stepped BOD to put the game to bed as he picked off Ronan O’Gara’s and ran 80 metres up the field to score under the posts.
When we showed a photo of him sprinting for the line, O’Driscoll could not help but fire a sly dig towards his old Ireland mucker.
He said: “I don’t know why I was looking over my shoulder, I needn’t have worried, it was only ROG chasing me.
“So yeah, I was like ‘do I need to put it into third gear from second gear.
“I remember thinking to myself around the half-way line, ‘you idiot for trying to go for an intercept’, I was already bunched.
“And to be going for an intercept there and picking it off, then realising I had to run 80-odd metres.
“Good to see Nigel Owens [referee] grimacing in the background. He was feeling my pain.”
