Brian Gerald O’DRISCOLL
Ireland Caps: 125 (75-2-48)  Ireland Points: 245 (46t 5d)
Ireland Debut: v Australia 1999

British & Irish Lions: 2001 (A), 2005 (Arg/NZ), 2009 (SA) Tests: 6 (1-0-5), 5pts (1t)
Lions Debut: 08/06/2001 v Western Australia
Test Record v Australia: 14 (4-1-9), 23pts (4t 1d)

Brian O’Driscoll is heading on his fourth British & Irish Lions tour - only the third player in 125 years to do that after five-times tourists Willie John McBride and Mike Gibson. He is also the second most capped player in rugby union history with 131 Test appearances – 125 for Ireland and 6 with the British & Irish Lions – and the game’s seventh highest Test try scorer with Bryan Habana on 47. He has captained Ireland to 52 wins in 83 matches, including four Triple Crowns and the 2009 Grand Slam, and was the Lions tour captain in New Zealand in 2005. He has made 17 appearances, and scored seven tries, in four successive Rugby World Cup tournaments, and led Ireland to a Pool victory over Australia in 2011. He has four wins, a draw and four tries to his credit in 14 Tests against the Wallabies for both Ireland and the Lions.
Born in Dublin, and a product of the famous Blackrock College, he made three appearances for the Irish School U18 team in 1996 and was in the Declan Kidney coached Ireland U19 team that won the IRB Junior World Cup in 1998. He made his Leinster debut in 1999 and has since helped his province to win three Heineken Cup titles and two RaboDirct PRO12 crowns.
He won his first Irish senior cap on the 1999 summer tour to Australia, and played in all four of Ireland’s games at the 1999 World Cup, scoring his first try against the US Eagles. He added to his growing reputation by scoring a wonder try for the Lions against Australia in 2001. He was nominated for the 2002 IRB World Player of the Year award.
He was voted Player of the Tournament for the 2006, 2007 and 2009 RBS 6 Nations, but on three occasions has been pipped for the World Player of the Year award, in 2001, 2002 and 2009.
He married actress Amy Huberman in July, 2010, and the couple’s first child child, Sadie, was born just hours before this season’s RBS 6 Nations clash with England on 10 February, 2013.