THE LATEST stop on Brian O'Driscoll's long goodbye to rugby is at the Aviva Stadium tomorrow morning (NZT) against Italy in the Six Nations, with the centre marking his final home match for Ireland with a record 140th test cap.
It is bound to be an emotional occasion in Dublin as the Irish public bid farewell to one of the country's greatest players, although O'Driscoll has tried his best not to join in the reminiscing.
"He's a quiet guy, an understated guy, he's a bit embarrassed and he just wants to focus on finishing as well as he can, without any distractions," Ireland captain Paul O'Connell said.
"It's hard to think what life will be like without him, but at the moment there's been very little mention of it from staff, players or Brian himself, and I'm sure that's the way he'd like it."
O'Driscoll's last international will come next weekend, when Ireland travel to France for what could be a Six Nations title decider. Both teams are level on points with England and Wales after three games.