Let us praise the rugby career of Brian O’Driscoll, on and off the field, and make a modest proposal about his future.

"BOD" was a sort of Halley’s Comet that lit up the rugby heavens. At the beginning of his career, his play had resonances of the whippet speed of David Hewitt, the dazzling Irish centre of the 1950 British and Irish Lions. The young O’Driscoll slashed the Wallabies defences in 2001 for the Lions, in the Hewitt manner. His breakouts were irresistible, with his low-slung running style and his shoulders hunched forward, rather like a rider on a racing motor bike. The later O’Driscoll morphed into a more physical version of the great Irish centre of the 1970s, Mike Gibson. In Ireland’s dramatic victory over the Wallabies in the 2011 Rugby World Cup tournament, O’Driscoll dominated the middle of the field with his incisive running, his brutal tackling and his hard-shouldered mauling for the ball in tackles.

In the thick of it: Brian O'Driscoll celebrates winning the Six Nations crown with his Irish teammates. Credit:AFP

O’Driscoll announced his genius to the world of rugby in his first Test by scoring three tries against France at the Stade de France. Ireland, as a consequence of this startling debut, won its first victory at Paris in 42 years. Last weekend, in his last Test, O’Driscoll was at the heart of Ireland’s win against France, again at the Stade de France. The win gave Ireland the 2014 Six Nations title. Donald McRae, in a fine tribute, summed up the impact of O’Driscoll’s absolute determination to win with the claim that “he changed Irish rugby’s mindset for good”.

O’Driscoll has sometimes suggested he would love to play Super Rugby. Now here is a modest proposal. One of the Australian sides should make him an offer he can’t refuse to play here in next year's Super Rugby tournament.