Brian O'Driscoll recalls omission from Lions test squad

[@rorsabest]

What I've enjoyed about Gatland's two tours as head coach of the Lions is that he never puts tradition or player status over the greater good of the tour; he's all about winning. Whether it's dropping BOD for the decider in Australia, taking them to Noosa to unwind only a week before the 3rd test, doing the same in New Zealand with extreme sports, bringing in extra players just for training purposes (the geography 6)... It's all about winning. As time passes he'll be viewed as one of the great Lions coaches, and I hope to god he does get the job for the South Africa tour in 2021

[@kahuna3901]

We've got to win in South Africa, let's hope so

[@Mr___X]

He decided to do the opposite and pick a representative team for the 2021 tour. More Scots in the test team (starting 15 and 23) than Welsh players, despite Wales being Six Nations champions in 2021 (and 2019). In hindsight, Gatland shouldn't have been the man to manage the 2021 tour if it was always intended to be a rebranding tour, one where they picked Scottish players who weren't good enough to try to quell the anger from the Scottish media at the fact Scotland are the odd one out of the 4 Lions nations. The next tour will probably have Andy Farrell as head coach and he should have been there this time, along with Townsend and a few Welsh and English coaches. The test teams picked in all 3 tests in 2021 are the exact opposite of what he's done in the past, which gives an insight in to the fact he took more of a back seat this time and let Townsend have his say on selection. It was all a bit of a mess and a massive missed opportunity (both in planning or delaying the tour so fans were there, and in selection). The South Africa tour is the best Lions tour and they got 2021 badly wrong.

[@jeffrey89095]

He's a total fraud, barely beat the worst Australian team of all time, fell into the sexton Farrell pivot that saved the NZ tour but still required savea to bottle two tries they score 999/1000 times and a dodgy ref call in the last test. Then his masterpiece, looking at South Africa, a huge monstrous team that had only ever looked in trouble when the ABs and Scotland managed to get to the outside 15m and said "right boys we're going to bosh these lads up the middle and boot the ball they won't cope" and produced simultaneously the most tactically inept and boring tour we've ever seen. The BOD selection was pure bitterness too he had huge favouritism for Welsh players, BOD and Davies couldnt click together at all, Davies overran every single line all tour but then got the nod only to contribute little to nothing in the 3rd test, not that he was poor it was just a meaningless decision really in the end. But sending BOD out to do press was poor poor taste. He had great success with Wales using a huge generation of players to just run straight and he had the kickers to round that simple gameplan but he has failed everywhere else he went where he couldn't do that. For sacrificing all the tradition which he did, he won 1 tour out of 3 playing again the worst Aussie team weve seen in the professional era. That's not enough of a return to justify sullying the spirit of the lions.

[@andrewlong489]

Big fan of Brian Odrisco. He is one of my favorite players! Never tired of watching him play.

[@DeeSee77]

I’m English and was still absolutely gutted. God knows what that news was like for him to process given that had no preconception whatsoever.

[@3vimages471]

I travelled from London to Sydney just for that one match .... three days round trip. And it was the greatest performance in Lions history. What a game! Sydney was turned red with Lions fans!

[@Glynnermang]

Ya was at that game also

[@xpat73]

Love BOD and he has been a great player. The Lions won the 3rd test by 20 points. So Gatland's selection was vindicated. Once Roberts was fit it made sense to bring him back in with his center partner Davies.

[@canadiancontent352]

I feel that Gatland has consistently picked his favorite, core Welsh players during the Lions tours, surronded them with the best from the rest of the Lions nations, which has helped the Welsh players to understand that they can compete and beat the southern nations. Up to that 3rd test, Davies had been poor, albeit outta position at 12. BOD at 13 would have been fine with Roberts.

[@canadiancontent352]

Case in point Gatland told POC during the 2013 tour that AWJ would start and he had to fight out with the English bloke, can;t remember his name. During the tour he also teased POC telling him "look how fit the Welsh players are." That doesnt sound like a coach who was focused on the lions, promoting the Welsh players was always in the back of his mind.

[@canadiancontent352]

@wildebest yes I do and you just proved the irrational praise of the tackle. Fires you up for sure, but that is fleeting. Losing a great player was permanent

[@OldManScarlet]

Canadian Content what was the result in the end??

[@dbuckley100]

That's ridiculous, the win wasn't vindicated by O'Driscoll not playing. They won because they played better, and probably would have had O'Driscoll started. It's funny how many think that win is because one player "wasn't" playing 😂😂 As if one of the best players to ever play rugby had he been playing then the lions would have lost all because he was selected 😂

[@RawRugby]

Painfully awkward for Warren.

[@india9nine496]

Ah sure off the ball would have paid him well....he will survive

[@glennmorton8992]

Warren Gatland is going to be missed by Wales gutted he is going but I hope he goes on to be the All Blacks coach because he deserves the job to be fair.

[@neilnicolson481]

Brian's foot is going like a cat's tail!! What a fantastic player!!

[@patbassman8251]

Im a Welsh fan and Brian O Driscol is in my all time top three players you can see it still hurts him , it seems to be a trend with Gatland he's dropped Josh Adams for two tests even though he's been the top try scorer.

[@KPP365]

Name your top three, please?

[@patbassman8251]

@@KPP365 I should of said top 10 players , Scot Gibbs would be in the top three , if its on Lions , Adam jones , Keith wood , , Martin Johnson , Lawrence dallaglio , Justin tipuric , Jason Robinson , Neil Jenkins . Cian Healy , Tadhg furlong. I could probably add another 20 players .

[@KPP365]

@patbassman8251 Some great players, no doubt. Six nations this time around ? Ireland or Wales for me ?

[@patbassman8251]

@@KPP365 Wales are in a dark place right now could even be the end of an era ,complete lack of talent a lot of the quality player are old and retiring . Ireland are a class act and can beat any team on the day they are class.

[@wewhofly]

The joke is that Ireland didn't need the Lions to beat Australia in that period (2010-2016?) Met them 5 times, won 3. England met Australia 11 times in the period and won 8. Scotland met Australia 4 times and won 1, in Australia. Wales met them 11 times in the same period - and lost every time. Gatland though, according to Welsh fables, knew best how to beat Australia. Gatland started O'Driscoll's International career, he makes no secret of still holding his personal grudge against IRFU and he thought he ended their star player's career. But he didn't. Another Pro12 title and a 6N followed for O'Driscoll. The last laugh.

[@daikayll1897]

Top,top guy Gatland. As Welsh rugby fan,missing him already.

[@theflaver]

what was the reason/thinking of the coaches in not selecting Brian?

[@dbuckley100]

Because he had "one" poor game previous !! I think not even selecting him on the bench was the real indication of how much Gatland still harbours a bitterness towards Ireland and Irish players because of how he got sacked from the Irish coaching job...he even mentions it in this interview without being asked about it ! He done the same with Peter o Mahony last tour, made him captain for the test and when they lost O'mahony was dropped and scapegoated for the loss. He pretty much made the Welsh national side want to beat Ireland since he took over above any other team.

[@tyelav13]

Decisions were made to win matches. With regards to POM, it was explained that the difference with him and Warburton was NZ ball was twice as slow time wise to be recycled, something like 5 seconds to recycle compared to just over 2, a huge difference at test level, this allowed the lions defence to regroup. The results speak for themselves.

[@o.binwheelie9733]

@@dbuckley100 nice to see you didn’t listen to anything either of them said in this video then

[@garethdavies2145]

Awkward for Warren - but ultimately the right decision. O'Driscoll was poor in the 2nd test and had to be dropped.

[@Blacksheeps4929]

BOD was poor in 2nd test. he seemed off the pace. as some player in his day

[@kevinquinn6103]

No

[@dafhughes7728]

great players do come to the end of a career , ,he enjoyed success but in many opinions he was not nailed on to go on tour in some respects i am glad as if he played poor in the 3rd test thats what fans would of remembered , ,

[@GibbonsTalksBoxing]

Brilliant call from Gats. A brave selection choice.

[@bernieob9577]

BOD is a legend.

[@josephm5493]

Boss made the call, they won the game. BOD should stop being so self centred. He played two of the three tests and it's ungraceful to keep bringing this up.

[@isitwasit8756]

The lions were there to win a test series and not unlike in football massage bloody egos.. ironically j. Davies selected instead of o,Driscoll went on to have a fantastic game for the lions .. o,Driscoll went down in my estimations with his sulking and criticism of gatland post lions behaving like a petulant footballer.. No one is bigger than the team..

[@iMoorelander]

Welsh? 🤣

[@gergemini2993]

as an irish man and obvious fan of BOD i agree - i was dissappointed with his reaction. for someone who had been "imppecable" in his conduct all career - he should have just took it on the chin and not so personally.

[@10jellys73]

Gatland is a horrid creature. Him and bod had issues. The team selection was a reflection those issues.

[@westsideAUKILANI]

As a kiwi, i would've loved to have seen The Prince of Centers finish his Lions career on a high. A legend of his stature deserved it at least...From an All Black fan, for me if Warren G was to be considered later on down the track for the AB coaches job, the decision to leave out BOD, even though the series was won, should count against him. For reasons only true rugby heads understand.

[@kokulu4411]

Its a professional sport, the best must play especially considering the third test was a decider, its not about pleasing a player. Also Gatland had the decency to tell him in person first.

[@kiwionsafari8641]

& then I got over the Irish / public media Bitchin post-hype after Chicargo 2017 FYI Kiwi's cheered for the Irish as they smashed the AB's that day.. but never again!

[@nathanwilliams5126]

Nonsense, a true rugby head and a true sportshead would realise the tough decisions at top level sport that need to be made. BOD was off the pace and needed to be dropped and proven it was the right decision.

[@daikayll1897]

Mind your own kiwi businesses. I remind you lot of Andy Haden 78' but you keep putting it to one side. Take it Kiwi if you dish it out.

[@waynedavies261]

westsideAUKILANI What an absolute load of rubbish it’s all about winning at the top level

[@here.3070]

The Lions won, so the coach was correct. There is no story other than the Irish and BODs ridiculous reaction to being dropped.

[@KPP365]

He picked player's whom he thought woukd do the job. I personally think Brian was the best 13 in the world .

[@johnbyrne6677]

Gatland got it right end of story

[@fluffballpom767]

This is fukn bizzare . Like a public therapy session for BOD , has he no shame ?

[@jimbob2252]

If he was ok with being dropped he would never have become the player he was in the first place. Top athletes have arrogance and rightly so. He took it better than the fans did, imagine if Tom Brady or LeBron James was dropped for a final there would be a civil war 🤣

[@robincousins1144]

Justifiably dropped for the best centre in the world

[@MightyAj]

What people forget is the player he was dropped for!? Jonathan Davies is a legend of a centre too! And even O'Driscoll himself says Tuilagi was a better bench option. So basically he was dropped and actually all the moans about the decision are very insulting to a great player in Jonathan Davies!! Both are great players. End of chat.

[@MightyAj]

@@inBODwetrust13 Voted player of the series on Lions tour of New Zealand 2017 by fellow team mates but nah not world class. Sit down.

[@Formakiwi]

BODs reputation as a petulant cry-baby gets another burnishing. Gatland's the most successful Lions coach in the pro era; the only one to get a win against the ABs and the only one to win a series outright since 1997. No Irish or Lions side featuring O'Driscoll ever did either.

[@hunterluxton5976]

Why is this chump still complaining about being dropped? He is not the team, he is just one player. He speaks as if he's entitled. He has a mamoth ego. The reason he was dropped was because the Irish treated Gatland so badly when he was coaching Ireland. It was revenge. He was also vindicated.

[@welshknight1456]

It was the correct decision for that game.

[@royroyston8480]

Made no difference. Lions would still have won comfortably.

[@obriena10000]

I don’t see why any player shouldn’t get the news upfront if you want to keep a team functioning. He was very lucky the result went his way. Not like Brian couldn’t have covered every position from 6+

[@westsideAUKILANI]

Andrew O'Brien the week before it was a wayward O Driscoll pass that sealed the second match for the wallabies...

[@JustinRSoles]

Hardly 'lucky' things went his way. We can't know what would've happened had BOD been selected, but the fact the Lions won is enough to justify the selection.

[@170221dn]

Pretty lucky indeed.

[@cringycook9597]

The irfu if they have any humility they will still be haunted by letting him go!

[@dazza4345]

Its hard believe that Odriscoll got dropped by any coach ever .Lol!

[@mata2nz]

That was a mistake by Gatland.

[@justindavitt6560]

If gatland wasn't so bitter about being dumped by Ireland this would never have happened to bod

[@madmarvelmultitasker2655]

Grow up!

[@billybones6137]

He was past his best at the time.

[@donrickells3444]

What a pity Brian dident play . He was hart broken . A super man in rugby and will be always

[@kiwionsafari8641]

Cept keeps on bitching bout that 2005 spear tackle in NZ when Lions were smashed by AB's!

[@johnswan6759]

This was Gatland giving one back because the IRFU sacked him as head coach. He never got over it. BOD was just a pawn in the game

[@gergemini2993]

i dont think it was like that.....it was a tactical decision that paid off...

[@guimarboy]

Nope Gats loves Ireland..He was shafted. Who shafted him...

[@JonnM]

Gatland is a petty man with a long memory. He was, without doubt, unfairly treated by the IRFU and maybe he felt O’Driscoll played some part in that. This was him getting his revenge. His behavior does him no credit whatsoever. He doesn’t come out of this looking at all well.

[@ed2000888]

😴😴😴

[@nickerless557]

What behaviour? It was the correct call.

[@martinbuckley1165]

He comes out of it as a coach who made correct call.Remind me of the score,and Jonathan Davies didn’t do to bad did he?

[@xxwales15xx33]

What a dumb comment lmao

[@maureenthomas9758]

first 2 tests davies at 12 and o driscoll wasn't working davies hands aren't good enough for 12 should have tried o driscoll at 12 therefore straight choice at 13 he was the best centre on the tour davies clearly

[@yogamoshi567]

You can't judge someone on the form they were in 5 years before the call. The decision was made and it was the biggest win in the tests on the tour. Put your ego away BOD, you were a good player. Were.

[@bigboi2008uk]

He was a great player. A lot of international players are "good"

[@yogamoshi567]

@@bigboi2008uk He was pretty good. Jonathan Davies was a better Player though at the time and that's why he was picked.

[@sammycasey4685]

Not sure what gats is trying to say here.... I don’t think he knows himself

[@shane-irish]

Never knew this happend 😂😂

[@marvh5424]

Not much of a rugby fan there are you 🤔🤔🤔

[@adamgrimsley2900]

One of the most boring stories ever told

[@Haremyaks]

Gatland was right ...... so o Driscoll needs to move on from this one money in his career

[@ed2000888]

Was correct O'Driscoll was dropped, but he should of been on the bench.

[@martinobrien7110]

SHAMEFUL DECISION .

[@ed2000888]

The lions won😴😴😴

[@gerainthopkins7576]

Shameful the way Ireland and BOD reacted no one bigger than team BOD was crap in 2nd test end of

[@davidlalor1764]

BOD should give out a out clive woodward sending him out to disgrace the HAKA when the LIONS toured NEW ZEALAND

[@garrettmcnamara6927]

what a plonker gatland is

[@kiwionsafari8641]

cept Gatland steps up against the AB's in 2017 & gives the Lions a 50% chance of whiining (anyone know how to spell complaing wit a W??).

[@kiwionsafari8641]

& then there's the incessant whining from that Lions 13 over the spear tackle (fair enough.. move on).

[@MrJohndory111]

Irish by any chance Garrett?

[@waynedavies261]

I think the only plonker is u my friend

[@ed2000888]

The lions won you moron!

[@daikayll1897]

Top,top guy Gatland. As Welsh rugby fan,missing him already.