No-one has been named the Guinness Six Nations Player of the Championship more times that Brian O’Driscoll, although he will surely have been happier with his team’s achievements than winning any individual titles in 2009.
For this was the year when Ireland ended a 61-year wait by winning just the second Grand Slam in their history.
O’Driscoll captained them to glory by leading from the front in scoring in four of their five matches to finish as the Championship’s joint-top try scorer and its best player for the third time.
After challenging for the title for several years, Ireland had a disappointing campaign in 2008, but it all finally fell into place under new head coach Declan Kidney, who retained O’Driscoll as his skipper.
FANCYING IT AGAINST THE FRENCH
Kidney’s first Guinness Six Nations match in charge came against France, in what turned out to be a thrilling encounter at Croke Park.
With the score at 13-10 to the home side early in the second half, O’Driscoll had the Dublin crowd on their feet by bursting on to Ronan O’Gara’s pass before stepping past Julien Malzieu for a brilliant try.
It was the perfect answer to critics who claimed those type of runs were a thing of the past from the outside centre.
It gave Ireland a platform to go on and win 30-21 to send confidence soaring ahead of their trip to Rome to face Italy.
It was more routine for Ireland this time as they ran out comfortable 38-9 winners at the Stadio Flaminio, with O’Driscoll scoring the last of their five tries after intercepting Andrea Masi’s pass.
ON THE BRINK OF HISTORY
O’Driscoll made it three tries in three games when England crossed the Irish Sea, with his score absolutely vital for the Boys in Green, who shaded the Red Rose 14-13.
After putting Ireland 6-3 in front with a drop goal from around 35 metres out, he sneaked over from close range on the edge of a ruck off Tomas O’Leary’s pass midway through the second half.
The try was given after a lengthy TMO check and a Ronan O’Gara penalty proved to be the decisive score before Delon Armitage’s late converted effort for England set up a nervy finale.
Things were similarly tight in Ireland’s away assignment against Scotland in Round 4, where Jamie Heaslip scored the only try of a 22-15 win – the only match where O’Driscoll didn’t score – to make it four wins out of four.
WINNER TAKES ALL IN CARDIFF
This set up a mouth-watering clash in Round 5 against Wales, who themselves still had a chance of retaining their Championship, where Ireland looked to emulate the heroes of 1948.
However, they trailed 6-0 just after half-time, only for O’Driscoll to change the course of the match with a pick-and-go try from inches out, with O’Gara’s conversion putting them in front.
Player of the Championship – Classic Winners: Brian O’Driscoll 2006
Tommy Bowe crossed the whitewash for the visitors two minutes later and the lead was 14-6, but the drama wasn’t finished yet.
Wales fought back, with Stephen Jones kicking two penalties and a 76th-minute drop goal to put the hosts 15-14 in front, but O’Gara made sure Irish dreams came true with a drop goal of his own with two minutes left.
Ireland still had to survive the scare of Jones sending a long-range penalty short off the final play, but the Grand Slam glory was theirs, as was their first Championship victory of any kind since 1985.
O’Driscoll’s efforts led to him being named Player of the Championship for the third time in four years, finishing ahead of teammates Paul O’Connell and Heaslip, England’s Armitage, Italy’s Sergio Parisse and Wales’ Lee Byrne.
He also won the Heineken Cup with Leinster before heading to South Africa for his third British & Irish Lions tour that summer to round off the most memorable of years.
