Ireland full-back Geordan Murphy believes Brian O’Driscoll is the man to
ad the British and Irish Lions skipper during their summer tour to New
Zealand.
O’Driscoll has led the Irish with distinction, guiding them to 15 victories
from his 18 matches in charge, and appears to have little competition for
the Lions captaincy.
England star Jason Robinson is his only rival but Murphy – who has a good
chance of claiming a Test spot himself – believes his Ireland team-mate
should be given the honour.
He said: "Brian is a great leader. He’s very lucky that he has a talented
Ireland squad to wor k with but everyone knows he’s an exceptional player.
"He’s a talisman for the side and brings confidence to the players around
him. He’d make a good Lions captain. He’d take it in his stride and I’m sure
he’d be as influential for the Lions as he is for Ireland."
O’Driscoll was a star of the 2001 tour to Australia where he sealed his
reputation as the most dangerous centre in the world.
However, the supremely-gifted Leinster midfielder has continued to develop
since the 2-1 series defeat by the Wallabies and Murphy believes he is now a
more rounded player.
"When Brian first came onto the scene he wasn’t as physically developed as
he is now. That comes with age," he said.
"In the past couple of years he’s been putting in the hits. The game has
become more physical and he’s adapted to that.
He’s the complete centre now."
