Gibson revels in genius of his heir

Six Nations: O'Driscoll follows hallowed footsteps in the Irish midfield as his opposite number settles into a new role

The Gabba in Brisbane has not always been synonymous with displays of Australian swagger. The ranks of the green and gold were stunned into silence when Brian O'Driscoll, moving from first gear to fifth in the blink of an eye, jinked and swerved his way through a nation's defence. That it was accomplished with the speed of a cheetah spreadeagling a herd of antelope made it all the more breathtaking.

O'Driscoll's try for the Lions in the first Test against the Wallabies two years ago, one of the great sights of that or any other tour, prompted thousands of red-shirted supporters to substitute O'Driscoll for Matilda as in "Waltzing O'Driscoll, Waltzing O'Driscoll, we'll go a-waltzing O'Driscoll with you".

The Australians, citing sacrilege, did not like it one little bit. Imagine if the hosts had replaced mussels with Eales in the Molly Malone refrain... "crying cockles and Eales alive alive O" would not have gone down well in O'Connell Street. But then perhaps only O'Driscoll could have inspired such improvisation.

He has drawn comparison with Mike Gibson, the Irish and Lions centre who was blessed with genius. A modern trend is for centres to be built like bouncers at a society wedding. If Gibson was a sprite, O'Driscoll is like a leprechaun on silk.

"I go to an international to see the reaction of the crowd when O'Driscoll is in possession. Everybody sits upright, waiting for something special to happen, and he doesn't disappoint.'' As this is Gibson talking, it is time to sit up and pay attention. "I find I just marvel at what O'Driscoll does on the rugby field. He's shown such class at the highest level and is the inspiration behind the Irish team. I would regard him as the No 1 centre in the world. He reminds me of Philippe Sella, and I can't say much higher than that. A player can look good in a good side. O'Driscoll has had to work very hard in attack and defence. He allows the rest of the back line to see what is possible.''

The same, of course, was said about Gibson when he was bewitching audiences and defences in a career that won him 69 caps between 1964 and 1979. When Gibson, a senior partner in a firm of solicitors in Belfast, retired from international rugby he was, in his 37th year, Ireland's most venerable Test player.

O'Driscoll has just turned 24 and today captains his country for the first time in the Six Nations' Championship when Ireland play Scotland at Murrayfield. He has already equalled the Irish try-scoring record of Brendan Mullin, another centre who was also a product of Blackrock College, Dublin. O'Driscoll's 17 tries include two hat-tricks, the first against France in Paris in 2000, guaranteeing their first win in the capital since 1972; the second against Scotland at Lansdowne Road last season. A great day at Blackrock.

Ireland remain the chameleons of the championship in that a blaze of passionate green one week can just as quickly be followed by embarrassing crimson. In 2001, under the captaincy of Keith Wood, they beat England in Dublin and would have had their own Grand Slam but for an inexplicable collapse in Edin-burgh the previous month. There were similar expectations last season, similar disappointments. Bookmakers have taken early retirement on the back of supporters having a punt on Ireland. Their latest adventure begins at a ground where they haven't won for 18 years.

"I find it difficult to understand why Ireland have such a poor record at Murrayfield,'' Gibson said. "Home advantage could be worth 10 points to the Scots but I expect Ireland to win because the gap between the sides is much greater than that. I'm optimistic about the whole campaign. As the quality of our play has risen, so has the confidence, and our back line has been producing some very positive rugby. Neither France nor England will be confident in Dublin, where both have recent memories of failure.''

When Ireland beat Australia last November, Ronan O'Gara scored all his side's points with six penalties. Today the Munster stand-off, who has an ankle injury, is replaced by David Humphreys, a protégé of Gibson. The Irish are fortunate to have two No 10s who kick goals in their sleep.

Warren Gatland, the former Ireland coach, does not agree with his successor, Eddie O'Sullivan, on the choice of O'Driscoll as leader. Gatland would have gone for Anthony Foley. Gibson has no such reservations. "O'Driscoll is at ease in the role of captain and could benefit from the responsibility. Because of the sheer quality of his play his team-mates will respond to him.''

O'Driscoll, a graduate of the side that won the Under-19 World Cup for Ireland when they beat France in the final in Toulouse, is not a great student of Irish rugby history. Given the choice between going to Lansdowne Road or watching a Super 12 match on TV, he preferred the latter, and his role model was not Gibson but the All Black Carlos Spencer.

O'Driscoll, a single-handicap golfer and a member at Royal Dublin, studied sports management at University College Dublin with the alternative career prospect of a players' agent. Both parents are doctors and his affairs are handled by his father, Frank, a stand-off who played for Ireland in an uncapped match against Argentina in 1970. Having just switched from Reebok to adidas in a highly lucrative deal, O'Driscoll will today be running, or waltzing, in a new pair of boots.

"I wouldn't know what it's like to wake up every morning thinking about rugby,'' Gibson said. "I used to go into the office on Monday mornings and still do. I don't think I would have liked the lifestyle of a professional player, although I would have loved the training and preparation. I take my enjoyment from watching people like O'Driscoll.''