O'Driscoll named Six Nations player of tournament
Ireland's Brian O'Driscoll named Six Nations player of tournament
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Friday, 27, Mar 2009 10:28
Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll has been named as the Six Nations player of the tournament after a public vote.
The experienced centre was Ireland's star man as they secured a first overall title since 1985 and a first grand slam since 1948.
He also ended the campaign as the joint top try scorer with four tries in five matches - including the first score of the competition decider against Wales at the Millennium Stadium last weekend.
"It has been such an immense week already and to be named the RBS player of the championship is a fantastic end to what has been a phenomenal championship," O'Driscoll said.
"This year's Six Nations has been a special tournament for me and the team for lots of reasons - it's been fantastic for Irish rugby and for the whole country."
O'Driscoll saw off stiff competition from a number of other candidates, including Italy captain Sergio Parisse and Ireland team-mate Paul O'Connell who finished second and third, respectively.
The 30-year-old said the award was made "extra special" by the fact that it was voted for by rugby fans through the Six Nations website, and also paid tribute to his Ireland team-mates for their overall contribution.
"I'm really proud of our team effort right the way through the tournament and I would not be in this position if it was not for my teammates," he said.
"The support of the fans throughout our campaign has been unwavering and a huge part of the team's success on the pitch - I'm just glad we could reward them too by bringing home the grand slam."
In addition to O'Driscoll, Parisse and O'Connell, the six-man shortlist for the award also included another Irishman Jamie Heaslip, England full-back Delon Armitage and Wales wing Lee Byrne.
From more than 24,000 votes cast in the online poll, O'Driscoll garnered almost 30 per cent, with Parisse (27.9 per cent) ranked a close second.