The Leinster centre was named rugby category winner in the Texaco Sportstars of the Year, emulating his achievements in 2000 and 2002.

O’Driscoll, currently battling to recover from an ankle injury in time for Leinster’s Heineken Cup clash against Edinburgh on Friday night, will receive his award at a Dublin ceremony next week.

Despite Ireland’s poor World Cup campaign, when they failed to reach the quarter-finals, the awards judges were impressed by O’Driscoll’s consistent playing and leadership standards throughout 2007.

O’Driscoll apart, other recent Texaco rugby winners include Munster trio Paul O’Connell, Ronan O’Gara and Denis Leamy.