Schmidt confident O’Brien can fill the void

LEINSTER coach Joe Schmidt is confident Sean O’Brien can fill the boots of iconic number eight Jamie Heaslip in Saturday’s Heineken Cup clash with Saracens at the RDS.

The 2009 Heineken Cup champions are on the cusp of qualification from their difficult pool and could have done with Heaslip’s considerable experience, but Schmidt believes O’Brien will bring enough to help secure a place in the last eight.

On a day when Schmidt reported good news on Jonathan Sexton, Cian Healy and Luke Fitzgerald, all of whom are dealing with injuries, the coach paid tribute to all of the back row forwards currently available.