The former Ireland captain Brian O’Driscoll will be keen to taste victory in his last appearance against England, a former British & Irish Lions teammate warned the host side ahead of their Six Nations clash at Twickenham on Saturday.
Graham Rowntree, the England forwards coach, said: “Beating us will mean everything to him. What a player. He’s a thoroughly professional player; as a man, he’s exceptional.”
O’Driscoll will be making his 13th appearance against England.
Rowntree was part of the Lions management team that dropped O’Driscoll for the climactic final Test against Australia last July.
Rowntree said: “I remember the day when he was left out of the team. That afternoon he was sat down with the guys going through things on the computer, helping them and coaching them. That speaks volumes about the man.”
O’Driscoll will equal the world record set by the former Australia scrum-half George Gregan of 139 caps when he faces England.
England are making their first appearance of the year at Twickenham following two games on the road, having lost narrowly to France in Paris and routing Scotland at Murrayfield.
Meanwhile, the Scotland coach Scott Johnson admits that not even a victory over Italy on Saturday will cure the side’s problems.
The Scots have suffered painful thumpings to Ireland and England as their Six Nations campaign got off to the worst possible start. Their meeting with the likewise winless Italians at the Stadio Olimpico could settle who finishes last in the competition.
The beleaguered Johnson said that not even a morale-boosting triumph in the Eternal City will guarantee that his side have turned the corner.
“There is no doubt, we would take a win,” he said. “It would be good for the guys, but it won’t be the end of all our ills, either. I keep talking about it – we want consistency in this team.
“That’s one of my issues with Scottish rugby. We seem to settle for these little peaks and then the troughs.”
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