“No hard feeling’s over spearing” - O’Driscoll
By Aidan Begley

Ireland Rugby captain Brain O’Driscoll has insisted that he doesn’t bear any grudges with New Zealand duo Tana Umaga and Keven Mealamu for the spear tackle that ended his Lions tour.
The furore started again recently when an amateur video of the tackle which dislocated O’Driscoll’s shoulder during the first Lions Test this summer came to light.
Despite the footage highlighting the dangerous nature of the off-the-ball tackle, and the lack of any punishment for the All Blacks pair, O'Driscoll says he has put the incident behind him.
“In the days afterwards I had some strong feelings and I was extremely angry,” he said.
“I felt a bit let down by the two lads that did it and secondly that nothing came of it from the citing commissioner. But it was more a sense of anger and injustice rather than a feeling of revenge.
“I would have no problem having a beer with Tana - it is in the past now. I don't have any ill feeling towards him. It is a chapter of my life that has gone and it is time to move on.
“I don't have any grudges against Tana or Keven. They can't cite themselves. Tana told me there was no intent or malice involved and with someone like that you have to take him at his word,” O’Driscoll added.
New Zealand play Ireland at Lansdowne Road on November 12, with both O’Driscoll and All-Blacks captain Umaga missing through injury, which according to the Ireland captain, might be a good thing.
“When the Lions tour was on there was an outcry about what happened to me so I'm sure it won't be easy street for them.
“I'm sure there'll be a little bit of abuse to be taken, but such is life. If the reverse had happened to Tana with myself and Shane Byrne, you could imagine what the outcry would be.”
Ireland have a number of senior players missing for the games against the All-Blacks, Australia on November 19 and Romania on November 26 for the traditional autumn internationals.
Lock Paul O’Connell is missing due to surgery on an injured hand, and hooker Frankie Sheehan has been ruled out after damaging neck ligaments. Also not in the frame are Denis Hickie, Guy Easterby, Eric Miller and Alan Quinlan.
Coach Eddie O’Sullivan is concerned by the loss of so many senior players, but os looking on these games as a chance for fringe members of the squad to stake a claim for a place in the first 15.
“The injury rate at this point of the season has been high and, with three Lions players out injured as well as fitness tests pending on two others, this impacts on the experience in the squad considerably. At the same time, this creates opportunities for other players in the squad to step forward,” said O’Sullivan.
To find out how Ireland played in their autumn internationals, grab a copy of next month’s Harp.