FORMER IRELAND AND LEINSTER back row Sean O’Brien’s hopes of returning to home club Tullow this season have been halted after an application for him to play for the County Carlow side was rejected at a meeting yesterday evening.

35-year-old O’Brien, also known as the ‘Tullow Tank,’ retired from professional rugby after leaving London Irish earlier this year and has moved back to Leinster to take up a role as the province’s contact skills coach.

O’Brien was also hoping to come back to junior rugby with Tullow, where his brother still plays, in what would have been a major coup for that level of the game, but the club’s application for O’Brien to feature in the Towns Cup and Leinster League has been rejected by Leinster Rugby’s domestic committee.

It’s believed the committee has cited a regulation that says players who have been professional within the preceding two seasons cannot then go straight into junior club rugby.

“All players who have played international (including 7’s), provincial, or professional rugby in any jurisdiction for the Senior full team, in the current or last 2 preceding seasons shall be ineligible to participate in any Competitions,” reads the regulation.

It’s understood the rule was brought in to prevent amateur players from having to deal with the physical challenge of playing against opponents who have just come out of the pro game. It also ensures current professionals cannot feature in junior club rugby.

The regulation seemingly would not prevent O’Brien from going straight into senior club rugby with an All-Ireland League side and only applies to the junior game.

Leinster’s regulations do also indicate that applications can be made for exceptions to this ruling but Tullow’s application has been rejected.

The decision has been greeted with obvious frustration within Tullow and among some other junior rugby clubs who were excited about the prospect of such a high-profile figure boosting interest levels in their competitions.

O’Brien has previously spoken with major pride about the role Tullow played in sending him on towards professional rugby and he has been open about his desire to pull on the club’s jersey again before completely finishing playing. It now appears that O’Brien would have to wait two seasons before he could do so.

However, Tullow are understood to have the right to appeal last night’s decision by Leinster Rugby.