Brian O'Driscoll

For me, it took five years to understand what professionalism meant. But I'm more settled now. I'm married, life changes, and I've been lucky in managing my injuries. ”

I've been a professional rugby player all my life; I don't really know anything different. ”

Everyone has tests in their life. They come in lots of different forms. I had two or three together, which definitely challenged me as a person and as a sportsman. The big thing is how you react to those situations. You want to come out positively at the other end, and that's what I focused on doing. ”

It's rare enough as an older generation player that you're 100% fit - there's always something niggling. ”

I'm fairly adventurous with my eating. I've tried kangaroo, and Moreton Bay bugs, which are a kind of lobster, are so good. ”

If you start thinking about retirement in six months' time, you're already there. ”

If you stick around long enough and you do enough of the right things, you get seen in a largely positive light. ”

Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad. ”

People talk about loyalty of players to clubs. But in the everyday world, you don't see people being loyal to their company when they're getting offered considerably better deals elsewhere. ”

When you talk to family and friends, they can't tell you anything from an impartial point of view because they have a vested interest in you. ”