Brian O'Driscoll
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| Date of Birth: | January 21, 1979 | |
| Place of Birth: | Clontarf,Dublin, Ireland | |
| Height: | 1.80m (5ft 11in) | |
| Weight: | 90kg | |
| Position: | Outside Centre | |
| Country: | Ireland | |
| Test Caps: | Ireland 59, British & Irish Lions 4 | |
| Test Points: | Ireland 147, British & Irish Lions | |
| Club: | Leinster | |
Brian Gerald O'Driscoll (21 January 1979, Dublin) is the current captain of the Irish rugby union national team and was the captain of the British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand in 2005. He is commonly regarded as the finest player to ever represent his country, and is highly regarded in the game as one of the best players currently playing. He is an Outside Centre who plays club rugby for Leinster. He is also known as BOD or Drico.
Born in Clontarf on Dublin's Northside O'Driscoll was Educated at Blackrock College and University College Dublin, O'Driscoll made his first appearance for Ireland in 1999, and established himself as one of rugby's most dangerous ball-carriers by his ability to cut through defences and create space for his supporting runners.
Image:Brianodriscoll-sexy-2.jpg He became so popular in Ireland that many supporters donned T-shirts bearing the motto "In BOD We Trust" (a play on "In God We Trust", the phrase that appears on all United States currency and coinage). In 2003, following the international retirement of longtime Ireland captain Keith Wood, he was awarded the captaincy and led Ireland to a second-place finish in the Six Nations and to a Triple Crown. Soon after in March of 2004 O'Driscoll was named "Ireland's Sexiest Man" by Social & Personal Magazine.
O'Driscoll also appeared in all three British and Irish Lions tests on the team's 2001 tour of Australia. On April 11th 2005, O'Driscoll was named captain of the British and Irish Lions for their 2005 tour of New Zealand. In advance of that tour he had been named captain of the Northern Hemisphere side for the IRB Rugby Aid Match, a 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami fundraiser held at Twickenham in March 2005, but was forced to withdraw due to an elbow injury; however, he did appear at pitchside for the match.
On his second Lions tour, O'Driscoll's playing contribution was finished in the opening minutes of the first Test against the All Blacks in Christchurch on 25 June 2005. He was stretchered off the field after suffering a dislocated shoulder. The injury was inflicted several seconds after the ball had left ruck, when Tana Umaga (captain of the All Blacks) and Keven Mealamu combined to clear the Lions captain from the ruck and dropped him head first to the ground; O'Driscoll extended one arm to save his neck but still landed heavily, suffering a dislocation of his shoulder. So severe was the injury that medical personnel required half an hour to put the joint back in place.
At the time the incident seems to have been anticipated by one of the serving touch judges; but the independent citing commissioner found that the New Zealand players had no case to answer. However, both All Black players were criticised for what most British and Irish fans and commentators considered a dishonourable 'spear tackle' and what the International Rugby Board's communications manager, Greg Thomas, called an 'unacceptably dangerous tackle' following new footage. The Lions management were heavily criticised by New Zealanders for attempting to divert attention away from their terrible performace. Although unable to play, O'Driscoll remained as non-playing captain on a losing tour and only underwent surgery on his return. Image:ODriscollvbath.jpg According to newspaper speculation of September 2005, O'Driscoll was preparing to leave Irish provincial rugby and agree a contract to play in France, as his contract with the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) expires at the end of the 2005-06 season. Various reports linked him with a possible move to Biarritz or Toulouse in 2006, the player having been introduced to fans at Biarritz´s Stade Aguiléra on 17 September 2005 before their game against Toulouse. The IRFU quickly announced that they would do all they could to keep him in Ireland, and succeeded, as O'Driscoll signed a new deal with the IRFU to keep him in the country and at Leinster through the 2007 World Cup. O'Driscoll made his playing comeback for Leinster in December 2005, and, in January 2006, produced one of the finest individual performances of his career in helping Leinster to beat Bath and qualify for the quarter-finals of the 2005-6 Heineken Cup. On the 1st of April 2006, O'Driscoll was again instrumental in leading Leinster to a mesmerising victor over Toulouse to reach the all Irish semi-final against Munster.
Regarding his personal life, he is currently dating Irish model Glenda Gilson. He has endorsed many commercial products including Powerade and mobile phones.