He was the captain of the Ireland Rugby team from 2004 – 2012 and captained Leinster Rugby from 2005 until the end of the 2008 season. He captained the British and Irish Lions for their 2005 tour of New Zealand. While registered at the University College Dublin RFC, he played outside centre for the Irish provincial team, Leinster.
Brian is the most-capped player in rugby union history, having played 141 test matches – 133 for Ireland (83 as captain), and eight for the British and Irish Lions. He scored 46 tries for Ireland and one try for the Lions in 2001, making him the highest try scorer of all time in Irish Rugby. He is the eighth-highest try scorer in international rugby union history, and the highest-scoring centre of all time.