Brian O'Driscoll tells Ryan Tubridy about what scared him as Ireland captain in new podcast
Leinster, Ireland and British and Irish Lions legend Brian O'Driscoll tells Ryan Tubridy about his struggle with being thrust into the limelight at a young age
Brian O'Driscoll has revealed that becoming Leinster and Ireland captain at a young age stressed and frightened him in one way.
O'Driscoll was 23 when he first captained Ireland and was appointed on a full-time basis in 2003, as a 24-year-old.
Speaking to Ryan Tubridy on his 'The Bookshelf' podcast, O'Driscoll said that he was naturally shy and introverted as a child, and ill-prepared to be thrown into the spotlight that scoring a hat-trick of tries in the Six Nations win in Paris in 2000.
"I was frightened in some of the parts of the role that I had, that didn't come easy to me," said O'Driscoll. "Like the public speaking piece was a real stress, whatever about being out and about or at events or dinners.
"We used to have a captain's meeting every night before a Test match - it was on your itinerary, 6.15, captain's meeting - and I can't tell you the amount of sleep I lost and stress I had having to come up with 10 minutes of conversation and chat for my peers.
"Because it was about me motivating them over what we were going to do the following day and outside of the team room where there's video footage or on the pitch where it's totally natural, this was like my thoughts and they were waiting to hear what I had to say.
"That was some of the hardest parts of the captaincy, I found. You find a way and you navigate a path to make it work a little bit for you, you have the odd person talk on your behalf.
"I was out of my comfort zone. I was happy to do that on the field, it was totally a natural instinct to go, 'right, here we go, let's follow me' whereas in this contrived environment you're like, 'oh my goodness, this feels alien'."
O'Driscoll referenced how he had to grow up in the public eye as he developed into a world-class centre for Ireland and the British and Irish Lions.
"It's so funny, you don't know what person you'd have become if I didn't go with the career that I went with, being pushed into the spotlight at a very young age, kind of 20, 21," he said.
"Particularly after scoring the hat-trick in France and quickly becoming captain, way before my time as a 23-year-old and you're really thrown out into the open.
"And listen I made mistakes, I had yellow hair for a couple of years and you do some silly stuff and you're living your mistakes in the public domain.
"That's why I always look at those young guys coming through now, they're meant to do that stuff, let them be, you're trying to find out who you are and what personality traits you have."
O'Driscoll regularly passes the Aviva Stadium now but admits that he doesn't give his achievements at the venue a second thought.
"The middle child is a rugby and football fan so he'll make a reference to it but I don't know if we pay all that much heed to it," said the 45-year-old.
"I don't get the shrine to myself from the boot and pose for pictures!
"A little bit of me thinks it's a shame that they (his kids) weren't old enough to enjoy even a couple of years (of his playing career). You look at someone like Johnny Sexton who's had so much joy with his children - and a bit of heartache as well.
"And a little bit of you thinks 'Umm, that would've been nice.' I don't think my son's ever watched a YouTube clip of me in his life. It's Messi and Ronaldo.”
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