Brian O’Driscoll Urges Warren Gatland To Trust In Irish Star For Lions Selection
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Brian O’Driscoll has urged Warren Gatland to to trust in the talent of Irish prodigy Garry Ringrose.
The young centre has enjoyed a breakout season for both club and country and was exceptional in Leinster’s Champions Cup quartern final win over Wasps a couple of weeks back.
At 22 Ringrose is the same age as O’Driscoll when he went on his first tour in 2001. O’Driscoll came of age on that tour of Australia and was one of the stars of the series.
Speaking to Charlie Morgan of The Daily Telegraph, O’Driscoll reckons Ringrose has to be close, but is not sure Gatland is a big enough fan of him.
“He’s got to be close, he does,” O’Driscoll said.
“The thing about him is that he’s a player for all seasons. He’s shown that, and I think that’s what differentiates him from other centres that look similar in the way they play the game, without naming names – I think it’s pretty obvious who I’m talking about.
“I think Garry Ringrose is someone I’d like in the trenches as much as I’d like on the hard ground of Loftus Versfeld. No matter who the opposition or what the conditions are, He’s there for the fight. He’s got fight in him.
“I just don’t know whether Warren Gatland is a big enough fan of him right now to select him, but he would be a really good addition to the Lions squad in my opinion.”
O’Driscoll also believes that Ringrose is an excellent team player- something that would be of huge benefit to Gatland’s squad full of superstars.
“He’s a real flair to his game as well, not that Joe limits players’ flair. Garry’s natural ability is very evident but he is very diligent in terms of playing within a structure or a gameplan of a team. He’s a very, very good team player.
“We’ve got a phrase in Ireland – a ‘me feiner’, who is someone who only thinks about themselves. He is the antithesis of that. He’ll impress when the going is fast and he’ll also be there when you need people to dig in.”
What do you think? Would you bring Ringrose to New Zealand?
