Ireland captain O’Driscoll led his team to their first Grand Slam since 1948 and contributed four tries and a drop goal.

O’Driscoll saw off stiff competition from the likes of compatriot Paul O’Connell, France’s Sergio Parisse and England’s Delon Armitage for the prize.

He said: “It has been such an immense week already and to be named the RBS Player of the Championship is a fantastic end to what has been a phenomenal Championship.

“This year's RBS 6 Nations has been a special tournament for me and the team for lots of reasons - it's been fantastic for Irish rugby and for the whole country.

“To be voted RBS Player of the Championship by the fans makes it extra special but I'm really proud of our team effort right the way through the tournament and I would not be in this position if it was not for my teammates.

“The support of the fans throughout our campaign has been unwavering and a huge part of the team's success on the pitch - I'm just glad we could reward them too by bringing home the Grand Slam.”

The 2009 RBS Player of the Championship was decided by a public vote on www.rbs6nations.com.

Members of Team RBS (former internationals Jason Leonard, Keith Wood, David Sole, Ieuan Evans, Philippe St Andre and Alessandro Moscardi) each put forward their three recommendations and these were combined to create the shortlist of Armitage, Lee Byrne, Jamie Heaslip, O'Connell, O'Driscoll, and Parisse.

Over 24,000 fans cast their vote in the online poll and O'Driscoll garnered nearly 30% of all the votes cast.

Like last year, Parisse (27.9%) was ranked in close second with O'Driscoll's fellow Irish teammate Paul O'Connell in third.