Brian O'Driscoll

There have been a couple of things I've been involved in launching that have been a bit more public, but I've always had other things tipping away in the background.

I have interests outside of rugby and have been cultivating them for when I do decide to hang up the boots.

I was quite small as a kid and maybe a little afraid physically. When I grew into myself, the realisation changed. That when you hurt yourself, it's transient; it doesn't stay forever.

Team sports are very important for shaping personalities. It's important that kids understand the mentality behind playing team sports and playing for one another and playing with friends.

Aaron Cruden and Beauden Barrett have both been decent, but Dan Carter takes it on to a different level, and he kicks his goals better than both of them.

I don't feel comfortable with the kind of celebrity that has come my way - and I'm not very good at it, either.

The big upside to being captain is it's a huge honour, but the downside is that there is definitely extra pressure.

In a team situation, I think the players are more inclined to give the answer they believe the psychologist is looking for rather than maybe being totally honest.

Being recognised by Guinness World Records in their 60th year is a real honour. It's also a real privilege for me to be positioned beside such sporting greats.

The Polynesian guys are pretty strong without going to the gym.

I'm not privy to the English set-up, but at the academies in Ireland, there is a huge focus on the weights room as opposed to whether they can throw a 10-metre pass on the run. They should be rugby players becoming athletes, not athletes becoming rugby players.

I would say I thrive in a competitive environment.