O’Brien back and relishing chance to test himself against best

SEAN O’BRIEN is ready for the true litmus test tomorrow, the game which will tell us exactly where Ireland are and how far they can go in this Rugby World Cup.

Ireland face Tri Nations champions Australia at Eden Park with O’Brien having finally shaken off the medial knee ligament damage that kept him sidelined since the second warm-up Test against France on August 20. The rampaging European Player of the Year is understandably eager to get stuck in and gauge both his and the team’s progress.

“Absolutely you want to test yourself against the best players in the world and Australia have them,” O’Brien, 24, told the Irish Examiner during an interview at the Ireland team’s hotel in the Auckland suburb of Mount Wellington.