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
Grand Slam (tennis) tennis ball, Martina Navratilova finally did it." Although the ITF recognizes what is now unofficially known as the "non-calendar year Grand Slam" on its Roll of Honour, no subsequent player to win four or more majors in a row—Steffi Graf, Serena Williams, or Novak Djokovic—has received bonus prize money. Combining "the" Grand Slam and non-calendar year Grand Slam, the total number of times that players achieved the feat (of being the reigning champion in all four majors) expands to 18. Three women have won four or more consecutive major titles since 1970, with Navratilova taking six in a row in