‘I'm available for Hong Kong’: Brian O’Driscoll nearly went down the sevens path

Former Ireland captain Brian O’Driscoll rose to legendary status throughout his decorated international career, which could’ve started very differently in the late 1990s.

At just 20 years of age, a young Brian O’Driscoll was handed his first Test cap by Ireland coach Warren Gatland during their two-match tour of Australia in 1999.

O’Driscoll was named at outside centre ahead of the first Test, and was set to come up against the formattable Wallabies midfield pairing of Tim Horan and Dan Herbert.

Playing in the coveted green jersey for the first time at senior level, the rising star showed glimpses of brilliance throughout an otherwise forgettable night for Irish rugby.

Ireland were beaten at Brisbane’s Ballymore Stadium 46-10, but a legend was born - and the rest, as they say, was history.

But things could’ve been a bit different for the future World Rugby Hall of Famer.

O’Driscoll almost announced himself to the rugby world at the prestigious Hong Kong Sevens in the late 1990s, before “getting plucked from obscurity” to play fifteens for Ireland.

In an exclusive interview with RugbyPass at last month’s World Series leg in Hong Kong China, O’Driscoll revealed how close he came to playing at the spiritual home of sevens.

“I probably would’ve come to Hong Kong in the late 90s except I got capped as a 20-year-old, probably before my time,” O’Driscoll told RugbyPass.

“I won’t feel hard done by because I managed to get to play for my nation as a 20-year-old, but the experiences that some of my contemporaries and peers would’ve had in those late 90s were epic.

“In the late 90s when I was just coming out of school. It wasn’t the series but the Hong Kong Sevens was still a huge event.

“It was still a big thing, even though the game was turning professional, that was the amateur part of it and it was always known as the fun element in international rugby.

“I would have put my hand up going, ‘I’m available for Hong Kong Sevens for sure.’ Then I ended up getting plucked from obscurity to play my first Test.

“That was the end of my sevens career before it even began.

“I do love it, and I do think because it’s at the Olympics… that is the opportunity in China and Germany and America, that is the access point into the growth of the game.

“If we could get America to win an Olympic gold medal, I think that would do wonders.”

The Hong Kong Sevens brough up an historic milestone last month, as the Women’s World Series made a stop at the famous venue for the first time ever.

As part of the momentous occasion, HSBC held a number of activities at the event to promote the growth of the sport.

O’Driscoll was one of their ambassadors at the esteemed event, and has been involved in HSBC’s World of Opportunity Programme.

Along with the likes of Springboks great Bryan Habana and Women’s Rugby World Cup winner Danielle ‘Nolli’ Waterman, O’Driscoll has shown kids that there’re opportunities in rugby that go beyond the field of play.

“I suppose as players we were the lucky ones that got to play, and many people that are interested in sport, it’s their dream to be an athlete, but only a small portion of people ultimately get to achieve that goal and that outcome,” he added, speaking as an ambassador on behalf of HSBC.

“I remember growing up, never thinking of myself as being a professional rugby player, I thought I was going to be Jerry Maguire.

“When you’re growing up and you’re a teenager, a lot of it is just uncertainty about what’s available and the roles that are there.

“Even now, the world has changed with social media and the promotion of the game on it to younger generations, so there are a multitude of roles that we’ve been showcasing over the course of the sevens weekend.

“You look at everybody, every person that has an involvement in these weekends, they don’t fortuitously just come together. These are perfectly structured.

“It’s a really integral part of what we do as ambassadors to be able to not just promote the playing side of it but the general feeling around sports.

“We’re ambassadors for the game that’s given us lot ourselves so a lot of what we do is about future proofing the next generation.

“We have been given so many more highs than lows over the course of our playing days so we’re big promoters in the game.

“I suppose I do feel a responsibility to… show the upside, show the values of the game.”