BRIAN O’DRISCOLL KNEW the question was going to come at some stage but, in the end, it took nine minutes.

The former Ireland captain fronted this afternoon’s press briefing at Carton House and spoke about the challenge England would present and the effects the Wales game had on his 34-year-old body.

When the question about his possible international retirement, stemming from an interview granted to the BBC, came, O’Driscoll shook his head before responding.

He said, “To be honest with you, I said it [about retiring] because I was asked the question.

“I hadn’t intended in causing a stir or anything of the like. I was just being honest in answering a question that was posed to me.” O’Driscoll added:

I was expecting this to be asked today but I haven’t really allowed myself to think about it. If you start thinking about retirement in six months time, you’re already there.

I just want to enjoy myself and concentrate on my rugby at the moment, live in the moment, and it will all evolve.”

O’Driscoll (r) addresses the media at Carton House. (©INPHO/James Crombie)

Definite date

The Leinster star remarked that his man-of-the-match performance against the Welsh ‘served as a nice reminder’ that his game-winning talent is still there.

He scoffed at the idea that he was looking at the Six Nations as a farewell tour of sorts and declared that Declan Kidney’s decision to award Jamie Heaslip the Irish captaincy had freed-up his game.

O’Driscoll told TheScore.ie, “I read a bit of stuff over the last while that the burden of captaincy, now that it has been taken away from me, has allowed me to think about my game.

I like to think in the 10 years that I was captain that I played a few alright games as well.”

He added, “Looking forward, I’m not going to be around for the 2015 World Cup so it’s a good opportunity to give Jamie a good run in the jersey… albeit it didn’t make the decision any easier or lessen the disappointment any when I was told.”