‘It was a dream when I was a kid’ – Versatile O’Brien hoping for Six Nations involvement
When Ireland head coach Andy Farrell unveils his squad for the Six Nations Championship later Thursday morning, it would come as a major surprise if Leinster utility star Jimmy O’Brien isn’t included amongst the list of backs.
After making his debut off the bench at inside centre in a narrow victory over South Africa at the beginning of last November’s Autumn Nations Series, the Kildare man started at full-back and left-wing respectively in subsequent triumphs at the expense of Fiji and Australia.
Given the versatility he had already shown at provincial level, it is easy to see why Farrell placed his trust in O’Brien so quickly. It remains to be seen if his performances in those tests will be enough to get him a look in when the Six Nations kicks off next month, but the former Newbridge College student believes he is a much more assured player as a result of his experiences in the autumn.
“It gave me a lot of confidence to play at that level and that the coaches saw me, trusted me and had me trying to play in different positions. That gave me a lot of self-confidence. I’d love to play in the Six Nations, it was a dream when I was a kid. I watched it every year, so it would be amazing,” O’Brien remarked at a Leinster media briefing on Monday.
Although he made his mark with Ireland at U20s and 7s level in the past, it was around this time last season that O’Brien truly announced himself as a force to be reckoned with.
Lining up in the back-three alongside the high-profile duo of Hugo Keenan and Jordan Larmour, he bagged a stunning haul of four tries as Leinster breezed past the challenge of Bath in a round four Champions Cup pool game at the Recreation Ground on January 22, 2022.
Fast forward just under 12 months later and O’Brien is set to feature at the same stage of this year’s top-tier European competition.
While Leinster are already guaranteed a spot in the Champions Cup knockout rounds, a fourth successive pool victory against Racing 92 at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday (kick-off 3.15pm) will also secure a top seeding for Leo Cullen’s men.
This would ensure the Blues remain on home soil for the rest of their European campaign – the final takes place at the Aviva on May 20th – and this is all the motivation O’Brien needs heading into their weekend clash with the Top 14 outfit.
“It makes some difference playing at home, especially in the Aviva. It has been mentioned before, playing in the Aviva the whole way there. I think if you talk to anyone, some of the days in the Aviva are some of the best days even,” O’Brien added.
“Off the top of my head, last year against Toulouse was unbelievable in the semi-final. It’s huge. If we can get a win this weekend and try to secure that spot, we can get home advantage.”