22 hours Ago By Vincent Whelan
BRIAN O'Driscoll won't mind watching Cian Healy surpass his appearances record as he knows what a consummate pro he is. Healy is one cap shy of O'Driscoll's mark going into Friday's Test versus Argentina. The prop was put up for media duty at Tuesday's press conference - always a sure sign that someone is going to feature on matchday.
And ahead of his tally of 133 Ireland appearances being equalled, O'Driscoll acknowledged Healy is a special person as well as player. He told Off the Ball : "It's one thing playing 133 times at outside centre..
.it's another thing playing 133 as a front-row! "I know not all of them have been starts but it's a brutal position to have come through at 18 and still be going at 37. It's incredible.
"No one likes to lose a record but it's a hell of a lot easier to lose it to someone like him. "He's a very hard-working, humble and likeable guy. "A great teammate - and I always loved the guys that had a bit of madness in them in their youth like I did.
"Records are there to be broken right?" The feeling is clearly mutual as Healy scoffed at the idea of him now being on the same pedestal among Irish rugby's great as the former flyer. He insisted: "I was at a friend's wedding with him only a couple of weeks back but I didn't bring it up. "It is very different between 'Drico' and me.
I wasn't ever and will never be the player he was so it is separating from that immediately. "I take pride in the durability and being able to show up and continue to show up. "That is something I do hold myself to a bit.
Enjoying training sessions and enjoying the hard work of week-in, week-out, year-in year-out. I enjoy that." Healy has done it all in an Irish jersey since making his debut against Australia in November 2009.
'Church' made his Six Nations bow the following year, and has gone on to win the Championship five times, as well as the 2019 and 2023 Grand Slams. His longevity with Leinster has, too, yielded silverware aplenty since his debut in 2006. He had three European Champions Cups to his name before his 25th birthday, and added the 2018 edition to a trophy cabinet that also features seven United Rugby Championship crowns.
In September, meanwhile, Healy surpassed Devin Toner as Leinster's all-time appearance maker with 281 caps. So what it his secret? Durability? Stubbornness? Patience? He responded: "Combination of everything. I can't picture myself anywhere else and that is a nice place to be in.
"You can go through the years and debate whether you should have done X, Y, and Z, but I can look at all my years and say I was exactly where I wanted to be.".
