Brian O'Driscoll Finally Names the 5 Toughest Rugby Players He Ever Faced

Most legends remember the tries. Brian O'Driscoll remembers the hits that left him barely ​able to walk down the stairs on a ​Monday morning — and now he is naming the five ​men responsible. Across a record-breaking career with Ireland and the British & Irish Lions, O'Driscoll ​lined up against opponents who turned ​every 80 minutes into pure misery. He explains ​why George Smith's breakdown work was "so bloody annoying", how Brian Lima's bone-crunching ​tackles made ​giant forwards look tame, why Jonny ​Wilkinson's defensive tackling was criminally underrated, how Schalk Burger hunted ​heavy collisions with unhinged enthusiasm, and how Richie McCaw mastered the ruck better than ​the ​men holding ​the whistle. From sitting on the bench in schools rugby and being dropped for ​a Senior Cup semi-final, to ​becoming one of the greatest centres the game has ever seen, O'Driscoll reveals the raw, unvarnished truth of Test rugby — the fear, the ​bruised ribs, ​the hesitation, and the respect that only grows after the final whistle. Which ​of these five ​would you least want charging at ​you? ​Tell us in the comments, and subscribe for more untold stories from rugby's toughest men. #BrianODriscoll ​#RugbyUnion ​#ToughestPlayers #SixNations #RichieMcCaw #JonnyWilkinson #SchalkBurger #BrianLima #GeorgeSmith ​#IrelandRugby #BritishAndIrishLions #RugbyHistory #Wallabies #RugbyLegends #TestRugby