Ireland's Sean O’Brien doesn’t regret lashing out at Pascal Papé in game against France

Sitting out Ireland’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final defeat by Argentina due to suspension was tough to take but there is a little bit of Sean O’Brien that doesn’t regret lashing out at Pascal Papé in the opening minutes of the final pool game against France.

Ireland had to go into the Argentina game without a third of the first-choice team from the successful Six Nations campaign but O’Brien was the only absentee that had himself to blame, with the others suffering from injury.

That was a bitter pill to swallow, without a doubt, but given the knowledge that France would try to impose themselves physically, the flanker just felt that a marker needed to be laid down.