“He’d talk the talk, then walk the walk." - Warren Gatland ranks his top five all-time Lions - Page 3 of 5 - Ruck

“He’d talk the talk, then walk the walk.” – Warren Gatland ranks his top five all-time Lions

#3. Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland)

  • Major teams British and Irish Lions, Edinburgh, Leinster, Ireland
  • Position Centre
  • Lions caps 8
  • Tours 2001 (Australia), 2005 (New Zealand), 2009 (South Africa), 2013 (Australia)

Probably the best player ever produced by Ireland, O’Driscoll was Lions captain on the ill-fated 2005 series that saw his tour cut short in a controversial manner.

One of the most feared players in the game, his cutting runs in Australia four years previous were instrumental in getting the series win.

He toured again in 2009 and 2013. This made him only the third player in 125 years of Lions history to go on tour four times.

GATLAND SAID: “In his prime, he was absolutely outstanding in terms of his rugby knowledge and leadership. He was always able to make players around him look better than they were.”

DID YOU KNOW? He is the 8th-highest try scorer in international rugby union history, and the highest scoring centre of all time

CONTINUES ON PAGE FOUR