BRILLIANT Ireland centre Brian O'Driscoll is set to make his return from a hamstring injury against Wales a fortnight on Sunday and he has alerted Welsh regions about his future availabililty -- but that future almost certainly rests in France.
O'Driscoll set the alarm bells ringing when he told a few members of the Welsh media at yesterday's launch of the Six Nations Championship in London that he is considering playing out of Ireland a year down the road.
And in plotting his future path he singled out Llanelli as a Welsh team worth playing for, though he insisted he would not become part of any auction.
And the smart money is on the star Irish centre heading for France and joining either Toulouse or Stade Francais.
It is pretty clear that the laid back Irish and British Lions superstar has got wanderlust.
"I'm happy to stay in Ireland for another year and discussions are going well with the IRFU," said O'Driscoll.
"Everyone gets on well in Ireland, there's a huge amount of slagging and if you didn't have the Irish sense of humour you wouldn't get on.
"But I have interaction with with players elsewhere about experiencing something else and I don't see myself playing in Ireland for the next ten years.
"It's important to look at other opportunities, but it's not a Dutch auction, it's about what others have to offer.
"But there would be no harm in playing for the Scarlets. It looks like a really solid club, there's not a huge amount of frills there, but they are a hard working side."
O"Driscoll doesn't believe the Irish captaincy, which he has taken over from the retired Keith Wood, would hinder his hopes of playing elsewhere.
"I'm enjoying the captaincy, it's something I've always wanted, and I want to be a winning captain," he said.
O'Driscoll rates his chances as no more than fifty-fifty of returning from his hamstring injury against France, Wales on February 22 in Dublin the more likely date.
"I've been training hard and I start running tomorrow, my chances are 50-50 asgainst France, but I definitely think I'll be fit to play against Wales, I'd be disappointed if I didn't."
He believes Wales have really announced themselves on the world stage after their performances in the World Cup.
"We had a dodgy score against Wales last year, and when they started playing in the World Cup they showed huge potential," he said, "I would say Wales are one of the top counter-attacking sides in the world."
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