AAP
Nick Purewal
March 10, 2014, 4:44 am


Ireland must deliver the Six Nations title to pay due homage to Brian O'Driscoll's record-breaking career, teammate Eoin Reddan says.

O'Driscoll will retire from international rugby after his 141st Test cap against France on Saturday.

Ireland's seven-try, 46-7 hammering of Italy leaves Joe Schmidt's side in pole position to take the Six Nations title with victory in Paris.

O'Driscoll has set a new Test appearance world record, and will extend his record Six Nations caps tally to 65 to boot.

The 35-year-old Leinster centre is Ireland's leading try-scorer with 46, and tops the Six Nations all-time scoring charts with 26.

Despite 15 years at the top of the world game, though, O'Driscoll only has one Six Nations crown, the 2009 Grand Slam.

His stunning hat-trick dragged Ireland to their only win in Paris in 42 years, back in 2000.

Now his Leinster and Ireland teammate Reddan believes the only way to do that track record justice is to pull off a rare victory on French soil.

"This win over Italy won't mean much if we don't back it up next week," the scrumhalf says.

"We already spoke about that in the dressing room after the game.

"It was a great occasion, but the players have to pay their respects in terms of delivering in Paris for him."

Leinster prop Jack McGrath was just 10 years old when O'Driscoll ran in that breathless Paris hat-trick.

The 24-year-old front-rower admitted he had never seen anything like the adulation of O'Driscoll's great Dublin farewell against Italy on Saturday.

"I watched that hat-trick game at home on the TV," said McGrath.

"There's a lot of hard work that went into becoming his teammate."

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/spo...for-odriscoll/


Well done on awesome career BOD, thanks for the memories, well most of them anyway