Six Nations 2012: Ireland ready for their first glimpse of a future without talismanic Brian O'Driscoll O'Driscoll, 33, has set himself the target of touring Australia with the 2013 Lions, which means he should be available for one more Six Nations campaign, but don't expect him to play beyond that and after such a major injury achieving that aim is going to present possibly the biggest challenge of his career. In terms of the captaincy, it is simple because we have Paul O'Connell to immediately step into his shoes, but as a centre we have many options. Keith Earls, Fergus McFadden, Tommy Bowe and Andrew Trimble have all played well there in the past and another option could be playing Paddy Wallace with Gordon D'Arcy. The first thing Kidney has considered is the futility of trying to find a like-for-like replacement for O'Driscoll - that just isn't going to happen - so his task now and in the not so distant future is to identify the player who moulds best with the talent he has available and that is where it becomes really interesting. With a back three potentially of a rejuvenated Rob Kearney, Tommy Bowe and Andrew Trimble you fancy the new man's first job should be as a facilitator for that world-class strike force. In the past everything has tended to revolve around the O'Driscoll-D'Arcy midfield axis but we could see a change in the modus operandi now, with more emphasis on bringing the back three into play as quickly as possible. Keith Earls is marginally the front-runner, but Kidney has always been an admirer of Paddy Wallace's role as a facilitator while Fergus McFadden is a long-term option and has already forged a strong partnership with D'Arcy in the Leinster midfield when O'Driscoll has been missing for his club side. Tommy Bowe and Andrew Trimble have both been mentioned - both have starred in the centre before - but moving one of those would be a huge call. In the future possibly, but the Six Nations is about the here and now and that feels like one punt too many. "Irish Rugby has been built on Brian's shoulder for a long time now, he has been the foundation of the Ireland and Leinster team for over a decade," says D'Arcy. It's a case of how do you replace the irreplaceable? We shall soon see.