O’Driscoll hit by vertigo

Ireland captain Brain O’Driscoll has been struck by a bout of vertigo ahead of Saturday’s clash with the All Blacks at Yarrow Stadium.

The skipper has suffered with the condition for some time and it was feared that the recurrence could have put his appearance at the test under threat.

However, the Leinster star said he would be fully recovered in time for the game. He told the Irish Independent, “’I’ll be grand in another 24 hours,’ Ireland’s leading try-scorer said. ‘I just get a bit of vertigo now and then. I haven’t had it for a while.”

“The last real memory of having it was the night we won the Grand Slam and I couldn’t go to the dinner. It just came on and I was getting sick that time.

“I just felt a little bit dizzy last night and went to bed and felt a bit better this morning. I took a bit more medication and I’ll be grand.”

It is not clear what the condition, usually associated with heights, stems from. It may be related to O’Driscoll’s last outing against the New Zealanders when he was tossed skyward by Tana Umaga and Keven Mealamu before being pounded headfirst into the dirt.

The infamous spear-tackle:

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