O’Brien out to ensure frustrating season won’t end with a whimper

Sean O’Brien could be excused for being frustrated with rugby right now.

Hip surgery during the summer saw his seasonal debut delayed until the end of November and a combination of injury and illness has again restricted his appearances in the last month.

Should he run out against Exeter Chiefs on Saturday, it will be only his sixth provincial cap of the campaign and his third in the Heineken Cup. Most frustrating of all, of course, is that it may well be his last European outing until October.