Brian O’Driscoll to equal George Gregan caps record
Ireland great Brian O’Driscoll is set to equal George Gregan’s world record for the most test appearances when he runs out against England at Twickenham on Saturday.
Ireland great Brian O’Driscoll is set to equal George Gregan’s world record for the most test appearances when he runs out against England in the Six Nations at Twickenham on Saturday.
The midfield maestro in his final season before retirement, has overcome a stomach bug and is now on course to tie former Australia scrum-half Gregan’s world record of 139 caps.
All of Gregan’s test career was spent representing the Wallabies, whereas the record of O’Driscoll, on the brink of playing his 131st test for Ireland, also includes eight appearances for the combined British & Irish Lions.
Fitness permitting, the 35-year-old O’Driscoll should break Gregan’s mark before the end of the Six Nations, with Ireland concluding the tournament against Italy and France following this weekend’s visit to London.
The lads realise what a step up this is and there’s a realistic view of where we need to be to win this match
“Brian trained fully on Thursday, and in fact he could have trained on Tuesday, but he was still feeling the after effects of an illness,” said Ireland coach Joe Schmidt after he announced an unchanged starting side.
“And with his experience and know-how he’s in a good position to know what he needs, and he brought that to bear,” the New Zealander added. “He’s fully ready to go now though.”