Why Ireland will be counting on O’Brien
Not that he’s counting, but fresh from leading Ireland’s tackle tally against Wales last Saturday, Sean O’Brien is expecting another step up in physicality when England visit the Aviva Stadium tomorrow afternoon.
The statistics tell us that openside flanker O’Brien led the bodies-on-the-line defensive effort in Cardiff seven days ago with an astonishing 23 tackles as Ireland withstood a ferocious Welsh fightback from 30-3 down after 42 minutes to hang on for a 30-22 victory.
Yet Ireland’s back-row powerhouse is not one for the numbers game in rugby, he just knows his job will be to get dirty at the coalface all over again, this time in Dublin.
“I think it is going to be [even more physical], I think England are a very good side, they showed that last week and I suppose in the autumn internationals as well,” O’Brien said.
“You know, every Ireland-England game is physical, and this will be no different in my eyes anyway.
“It’s the same process you go through every week, you know? You’re making five or six more tackles than you would on a normal day. That’s really all it is.
“The body is not overly different than any other week, really, although the stats might show that. But if you make 10 hard tackles, 20 is not going to kill you. Recovery was much the same this week.”
O’Brien, then, is not the sort of player to go poring over match statistics or measuring his performance by the number of tackles he makes or the metres he carries the ball.
“Not at all. It’s irrelevant, you can be doing so much more for a start if the team is performing well, and there are other little things that people don’t see, there’s a lot of unseen work, especially with us on the ground and organising a defence.
“They’re only numbers, really.”
A tight calf was the only lingering effect of O’Brien’s contribution to the Irish rearguard and having taken a full part in training yesterday he declared himself “all systems go” for tomorrow.
Part of his brief, no doubt, will be to keep tabs on England’s young fly-half talent Owen Farrell, whose playmaking qualities in engineering four tries against Scotland added to the 18 points he contributed with the boot in the 38-18 Calcutta Cup win at Twickenham last Saturday.
“He’s a very, very good player, very consistent, and he doesn’t miss too many shots at goal,” the Leinster forward said. “Self-discipline, I suppose, has got to be spot on first and foremost. And then I don’t think we can go out on a manhunt for him.
“If we start going out for him, holes will open up either side of him and around him and he’ll know that as well as we do. It’s about sticking together and not giving him as much space as he’d like.”
It is two years now since O’Brien announced his presence on the Six Nations stage with a rampaging performance in a narrow victory over Italy in Rome, his first start for Ireland in the championship having come on as a substitute for his debut against the Azzurri a year previously. Having not been a part of the Grand Slam team of 2009, O’Brien’s experience of the tournament has been far from glittering yet he remains upbeat about the journey thus far.
“I don’t think it is disappointment. You have younger players and new players coming in and out. This is all different to us, the last couple of years.
“It’s a learning experience. It’s an exciting competition and one where you know you have to be on the money every week. From my point of view I remember watching it at home and there was a massive buzz around. Hopefully we can give them something to shout about this week.”
