Brian O'Driscoll played his last game for Ireland last weekend. The team had to dig deep to pull out a famous win over France in Paris for the second time ever in 40 years, just beating England on points to claim the 2014 Six Nations crown.
The only other time the men in green have beaten France in Paris was 14 years ago almost to the day, when the 21 year-old O'Driscoll scored a hat trick.
It was a fitting end to the 35 year-old's illustrious career which stands at 141 tests strong.
He currently holds the record for most tests by any player, a testament to his abilities and his longevity.
After the game in the weekend O'Driscoll said: "There were some great emotions in the dressing room. And I'm sure there will be a few tears later on…"
The game was a battle and not a foregone conclusion by any means; the French were agonisingly close with a forward pass to Damien Chouly who scored in the corner in the dying minutes, the only thing stopping them from snatching victory in front of their home crowd.
A Rugby Name
As a kiwi rugby fan I've always admired Brian O Driscoll on the field with his passion and silky skills, O'Driscoll will be a name as famous in rugby as Campese, Lomu, Wilkinson, Meads and Farr-Jones.
Off the field he seems to hold the respect of everyone who plays against him, not to mention the older men who have played under him as captain.
In a British article after the match the English coach (who was denied the six nations win) congratulated O'Driscoll for his outstanding career.
O'Driscoll holds many records that will cement his name in rugby history for years to come.
His talents speak for themselves, scoring the most tries for any centre, world wide.
The Irish superstar was named player of the tournament for the Six Nations in 2006, 2007 and 2009.
He was the Irish captain from 2003-2012, and captained the British and Irish Lion's tour to New Zealand in 2005.
O'Driscoll was voted World Rugby Player of the Decade (2000–09) by the magazine Rugby World.
O'Driscoll thought he would retire in 2013, but found it hard to let go of the national jersey he cherished.
He said he wanted a win against the All Blacks, one of the only things he hasn't done in world rugby, which almost came in the autumn tests at the end of the year.
There was much heartbreak for Irish fans as the All Blacks snuck home at the death to remain unbeaten by the Irish, the only rugby team in the world to hold that record against Ireland.
Brian Gerald O'Driscoll is one of the greats of world rugby, and he'll be greatly missed on the field by fans all over the world.
Brad Mills enjoys the outdoors and almost any sport... For a day job he's a journalist who works at the Rhema Broadcasting Group in Auckland New Zealand.
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