WHEN JIMMY O’BRIEN came off the bench for Ireland in the 2023 World Cup quarter-final against New Zealand and made a telling impact, it looked like he was well set to kick on in international rugby.
Andy Farrell’s side were knocked out in agonising fashion, but O’Brien appeared to have laid down a big marker on the right wing.
Yet it was 21 months before the Kildare man played for his country again.
That long spell out of the frame, which was due to injuries and the competition for places in the back three, makes nights like last Saturday in Sydney all the sweeter for the 29-year-old. He started on the right wing as Ireland beat the Wallabies.
“It was probably one of the bigger games I’ve played in the last couple of years,” says O’Brien.
“It was frustrating because I came back from the World Cup, which was obviously very disappointing, but I was happy to have played in the end because I was injured going into the World Cup.
“So I only got that shot at the end and in my head, I was going to kick on then, and then I had a bad injury. I was out for about five or six months with my neck and then tried to come back and another hammy, so I missed November.
“It was hard to get a flow of form, and so I’m just hoping to stay injury-free and keep my form going.”
He only got final confirmation that he would play against the Wallabies on the day of the game when Robert Baloucoune pulled out with a hamstring injury.
O’Brien went from outside the match-day 23 into the starting XV.
“You always have to prepare to play, and you know all the plays and everything like that during the week,” says O’Brien.
Although he was unlucky to miss out on making Leinster’s match-day 23 for the URC final and the Champions Cup quarter, semi and final, O’Brien has been in excellent form this season, whether at fullback, left wing, or right wing.
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O'Brien on the move against Australia. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
Missing out on those big games hurt.
“I was massively frustrated in Leinster, but I probably got better at dealing with it this season where it didn’t really affect me as much,” says O’Brien.
“Going into games after, I was just kind of thinking, ‘OK, I’ll get another chance, I feel like I’m playing well.’ Whenever I did get a chance, I tried to prove that I should have been playing and make it tough for Leo.
“I was bitterly disappointed to miss out in the Champions Cup and the URC final.”
O’Brien agrees that this is “probably the best form I’ve been in,” so the opportunity with Ireland came at a good time.
He is famously versatile, having already played at fullback, both wings and outside centre for province and country.
And there may be more opportunity ahead for him with Rieko Ioane departing Leinster and James Lowe leaving Irish rugby.
“With someone retiring, or someone moving on, there’s always going to be a different opportunity,” says O’Brien. “Someone getting injured, it’s an opportunity.
“With Lowey, it was actually quite disappointing. I’d get on well with Lowey. We’d be quite good friends. And he’ll be missed around the changing room in Leinster and Ireland. As I said, it is an opportunity, but you have to try and take it.”
Another of O’Brien’s close friends in Leinster, Ciarán Frawley, has decided to leave the province to join Connacht next season.
Frawley aims to start more games at out-half, having struggled to get those chances in Leinster, but O’Brien doesn’t feel that he needs a similar move to boost his own career.
“I think it’s different with 10,” says O’Brien. “10 is such a specialist position.”
“I’d be very, very close to Frawls, like we’d room together most times, and we’d be very close. I’m delighted for him. He’s going there and hopefully he plays really well and hopefully he’s playing 10 every week.
“It’ll be annoying coming up against him next year because we’ll know each other inside out. But no, I think it’s slightly different with 10 and other positions because 10 is such a specialist thing that you just need time playing there.”
O'Brien at Ireland's team hotel in Sydney. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
O’Brien has spoken to both the Ireland and Leinster coaches about his versatility and whether he needs to concentrate on one position.
He’s so flexible with his skills that he even moved to out-half during a game for Leinster this season, having played at number 10 back when he was in school at Newbridge College. The coaches all like that he is multidimensional.
“They’re all like, ‘No.’ They value that I can play a couple of positions, so I like it.
“I don’t mind wherever I play, to be honest. I don’t really mind once I get across the detail and stuff, then I’m pretty comfortable playing in any of them.”
When he’s in Ireland camp, O’Brien learns the roles for left wing, right wing, and fullback, as well as outside centre depending on the make-up of the match-day 23 and whether he is also the cover there.
There’s plenty of homework involved, but O’Brien enjoys this technical and tactical side of the game.
He speaks about the aerial battles involved for back three players in modern rugby with detail, as well as the kicking skills that they simply have to have in their skillset.
O’Brien enjoys being a playmaker and popping up all over the pitch, although he is also happy to be on a try-scoring streak recently, with five tries in his last seven games of the season for Leinster.
“Leo said it to me during the season. He was like, ‘We need wingers scoring.’
“I was like, ‘Yeah, fair enough.’ Because I probably wouldn’t have been a traditional winger, I’d say. I wouldn’t have played wing until maybe six years ago now… I’m getting on.
“I probably wouldn’t have grown up being like, ‘Oh, I’m the try scorer,’ and that kind of mindset. So we spoke about it, and I probably had a bit more in front of my mind towards the end of the season.”
O’Brien will hope to put it all together against Japan on Saturday. He has one try in his 12 Ireland caps so far, so scoring might be among his aims.
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'I don't mind where I play. I'm pretty comfortable in any of them'
WHEN JIMMY O’BRIEN came off the bench for Ireland in the 2023 World Cup quarter-final against New Zealand and made a telling impact, it looked like he was well set to kick on in international rugby.
Andy Farrell’s side were knocked out in agonising fashion, but O’Brien appeared to have laid down a big marker on the right wing.
Yet it was 21 months before the Kildare man played for his country again.
That long spell out of the frame, which was due to injuries and the competition for places in the back three, makes nights like last Saturday in Sydney all the sweeter for the 29-year-old. He started on the right wing as Ireland beat the Wallabies.
“It was probably one of the bigger games I’ve played in the last couple of years,” says O’Brien.
“It was frustrating because I came back from the World Cup, which was obviously very disappointing, but I was happy to have played in the end because I was injured going into the World Cup.
“So I only got that shot at the end and in my head, I was going to kick on then, and then I had a bad injury. I was out for about five or six months with my neck and then tried to come back and another hammy, so I missed November.
“It was hard to get a flow of form, and so I’m just hoping to stay injury-free and keep my form going.”
He only got final confirmation that he would play against the Wallabies on the day of the game when Robert Baloucoune pulled out with a hamstring injury.
O’Brien went from outside the match-day 23 into the starting XV.
“You always have to prepare to play, and you know all the plays and everything like that during the week,” says O’Brien.
Although he was unlucky to miss out on making Leinster’s match-day 23 for the URC final and the Champions Cup quarter, semi and final, O’Brien has been in excellent form this season, whether at fullback, left wing, or right wing.
Missing out on those big games hurt.
“I was massively frustrated in Leinster, but I probably got better at dealing with it this season where it didn’t really affect me as much,” says O’Brien.
“Going into games after, I was just kind of thinking, ‘OK, I’ll get another chance, I feel like I’m playing well.’ Whenever I did get a chance, I tried to prove that I should have been playing and make it tough for Leo.
“I was bitterly disappointed to miss out in the Champions Cup and the URC final.”
O’Brien agrees that this is “probably the best form I’ve been in,” so the opportunity with Ireland came at a good time.
He is famously versatile, having already played at fullback, both wings and outside centre for province and country.
And there may be more opportunity ahead for him with Rieko Ioane departing Leinster and James Lowe leaving Irish rugby.
“With someone retiring, or someone moving on, there’s always going to be a different opportunity,” says O’Brien. “Someone getting injured, it’s an opportunity.
“With Lowey, it was actually quite disappointing. I’d get on well with Lowey. We’d be quite good friends. And he’ll be missed around the changing room in Leinster and Ireland. As I said, it is an opportunity, but you have to try and take it.”
Another of O’Brien’s close friends in Leinster, Ciarán Frawley, has decided to leave the province to join Connacht next season.
Frawley aims to start more games at out-half, having struggled to get those chances in Leinster, but O’Brien doesn’t feel that he needs a similar move to boost his own career.
“I think it’s different with 10,” says O’Brien. “10 is such a specialist position.”
“I’d be very, very close to Frawls, like we’d room together most times, and we’d be very close. I’m delighted for him. He’s going there and hopefully he plays really well and hopefully he’s playing 10 every week.
“It’ll be annoying coming up against him next year because we’ll know each other inside out. But no, I think it’s slightly different with 10 and other positions because 10 is such a specialist thing that you just need time playing there.”
O’Brien has spoken to both the Ireland and Leinster coaches about his versatility and whether he needs to concentrate on one position.
He’s so flexible with his skills that he even moved to out-half during a game for Leinster this season, having played at number 10 back when he was in school at Newbridge College. The coaches all like that he is multidimensional.
“They’re all like, ‘No.’ They value that I can play a couple of positions, so I like it.
“I don’t mind wherever I play, to be honest. I don’t really mind once I get across the detail and stuff, then I’m pretty comfortable playing in any of them.”
When he’s in Ireland camp, O’Brien learns the roles for left wing, right wing, and fullback, as well as outside centre depending on the make-up of the match-day 23 and whether he is also the cover there.
There’s plenty of homework involved, but O’Brien enjoys this technical and tactical side of the game.
He speaks about the aerial battles involved for back three players in modern rugby with detail, as well as the kicking skills that they simply have to have in their skillset.
O’Brien enjoys being a playmaker and popping up all over the pitch, although he is also happy to be on a try-scoring streak recently, with five tries in his last seven games of the season for Leinster.
“Leo said it to me during the season. He was like, ‘We need wingers scoring.’
“I was like, ‘Yeah, fair enough.’ Because I probably wouldn’t have been a traditional winger, I’d say. I wouldn’t have played wing until maybe six years ago now… I’m getting on.
“I probably wouldn’t have grown up being like, ‘Oh, I’m the try scorer,’ and that kind of mindset. So we spoke about it, and I probably had a bit more in front of my mind towards the end of the season.”
O’Brien will hope to put it all together against Japan on Saturday. He has one try in his 12 Ireland caps so far, so scoring might be among his aims.
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