Wynne Gray's 50 greatest rugby moments: No.42

Ireland's captain Brian O'Driscoll is tackled into the ground by Wales' Alun Wyn Jones. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Irish fans were everywhere in Wellington. So was the 'In Bod we Trust' slogan on many of their T-shirts.

How they wanted the World Cup dream to go beyond this quarterfinal at the Cake Tin, to give their team and talismanic captain Brian O'Driscoll an on-going crack at his last World Cup. He'd make his sixth and final visit to New Zealand the following season but another World Cup was too much of a stretch.

O'Driscoll's reputation was like a snowplough when he came Downunder where all too often circumstance or injury affected all the pre-tour clamour and his work. He'd been classed up with the best and if he could uncork some of the magic of Mike Gibson we'd understand.

Ireland looked to be battling when they arrived at the World Cup after losing four warmup internationals in August. They struggled to beat USA in their opening game but pulled out some rare form to defy the Wallabies, then beat Russia and Italy.

O'Driscoll had lost a touch of the fizz which marked his early years however his vast experience and skill meant he delivered high-calibre rugby and that expertise and his leadership guided Ireland on their unbeaten RWC journey.

Could the BoD they trusted, conjure up another enchanting result against Wales?
He led the way. He was ultra-busy, leading the backline defence, shifting the point of attack and calling his men to action and springing about like he had a decade before.

Sadly for Irish eyes they never found that purple patch they had against the Wallabies while Wales had too much of a hold on the match.

As O'Driscoll and Ireland's dream faded into the Wellington evening, those who did not follow the Irish national team, religiously, talked through their memories of the man who wore the emerald No 13 jersey. We sidestepped the shameful episodes of the 2005 Lions tour and concentrated on his rugby gifts.

He'd never shown enough here but you could see the timing which is a blessing for all top-grade rugby players. O'Driscoll was not a fleeting star, he endured many difficult times in ordinary teams and given Ireland hope.