D Friday, November 13, 2009 METROSPORT 25 Butterflies still flutter for centurion ODriscollBy john donnelly WHEN Brian ODriscoll joins the ranks of rug- bys Test centurions on Sunday, he will be af- flicted by the same nerves that marked his debut a decade ago. Irelandsopeningautumninternationalagainst Australia at Croke Park heralds the arrival of another special milestone for the enduringly brilliant captain. With 93 Ireland caps and six Test appearances for the Lions, ODriscoll will become the 11th player to achieve a century when he faces the Wallabies. In a neat piece of symmetry, ODriscoll made his debut as a 20-year-old replacement against the same opposition in 1999 and the similari- ties between occasions will not end there. I was really looking forward to my first cap and didnt start feeling nervous until the fire- works went off when Australia came on to the pitch, said ODriscoll. I wasnt expecting that. Once the whistle went for the start of the game, all those nerves evaporated. I still have those nerves if you dont, the mind isnt sharp. You have to be on the ball againstAustralia, so if youre eating your pre-match meal without any problem then theres an issue there.You need to be forcing your food down. The butterflies fo- cus the mind and get you ready for combat. After a sensational Grand Slam-winning sea- son in which he finished as player of the tourna- ment, ODriscoll also toured with the Lions, before having to return home injured. And while the searing acceleration that marked his earlier years may have been eroded by injury and time but, older and wiser, the Leinster centre is as creative as ever and re- mains utterly fearless. I enjoy it as much now as I did in the early days, though it probably comes more naturally to me now, he said. I have great hunger for the game at the mo- ment and hopefully well pick up where we left off in March. Australia are a very smart team, the smartest in world rugby, he said. Theyre able to adapt on the pitch... That makes them dangerous, but also a great challenge, he added wryly. Captain fantastic: Brian odriscoll will play his 100th Test against Australia this Sunday rugby inTernATionAlS If youre eating your pre-match meal without a problem then theres an issue Brains over brawn: jones Jones wary of Samoa shock Wales captain Ryan Jones has urged his team to play smart against the renowned physical threat of samoa tonight. Head coach Warren Gatland is taking few chances, retaining ten of the side that started last saturdays defeat against New Zealand. Its a huge mark of respect to samoa, who are a serious threat, said Ospreys number eight Jones. There are no sweeping changes, which allows us to build on our performance of last week. samoa are going to be big, they are going to be physical, they are going to be direct. We have got to play smart and make sure weve got a good balance to our game. Wilko ready for duty in defence JONNY WIlKINsON has vowed to continue putting his injury- prone body on the line tomorrow as england host argentina. at times on saturday it seemed as if the Toulon fly-half was on a one- man mission to repel australia as they swept forward on their way to a 18-9 win. Wilkinson, 30, has spent most of the last six years on the treatment table and his display raised concerns over how long his body can take such punishment. But Wilkinson felt no ill-effects and is prepared for a repeat effort to help england beat the Pumas. You just do what you think needs to be done to get the result, he insisted. Those tackles had to be made.Picture: Sportsfile index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html24.html25.html26.html27.html28.html29.html30.html31.html