2009 Six Nations Championship their arrival at Dublin Airport. Brian O'Driscoll described 21 March as a “sweet, sweet day”. The game was watched by 945,000 people in Ireland, the highest rating television programme in the country by that stage of 2009. Former coach Eddie O'Sullivan was said to be "delighted" for the team. Brian O'Driscoll was named player of the tournament, beating Italy's Sergio Parisse and Ireland teammate Paul O'Connell. O'Connell was later named captain of the British and Irish Lions team to tour South Africa and containing fourteen members of the Grand Slam winning Irish team on 21 April 2009, describing it as
2009 Grand Slam of Darts Corporation met and decreed that he would not be invited to any future tournaments. An invitation to compete in the 2009 Grand Slam of Darts was also awarded to: Simon Whitlock topped the Dart Players Australia Order of Merit, but had already secured his place in the Grand Slam as the 2008 BDO World Championship runner-up. Steve Macarthur, who came second, was not awarded an invitation. The PDC North American Order of Merit ranks all of the North American dart players based on the amount of prize money that they have won from tournaments held in the USA and Canada.