I’ve put myself in Lions frame, reckons O’Brien
“He has been a little bit quiet in the Six Nations,” O’Driscoll said last week of O’Brien, “I know that Gats and Andy Farrell like him but he could really do with a massive game.”
The former Ireland skipper was looking out for his old teammate, and former Lions colleague.
Knowing Lions head coach Warren Gatland had plenty of options for backrow this summer, a little rocket had to be fired at the Tullow Tank as James Haskell and Nathan Hughes came to town.
“He may or may not have heard what O’Driscoll said, but either way O’Brien delivered against the Aviva Premiership leaders, as Leo Cullen’s men stormed to a semi-final showdown with Clermont.
With no Jamie Heaslip around, and no CJ Stander or Peter O’Mahony to steal the show (and the ball), O’Brien stood up, carried, punched holes, tackled and ran — leaving scrum-half Luke McGrath in his dust on one occasion — it was a well timed showreel for Gatland and co. to mull over.
“I think I’ve put myself in the frame to be selected,” he said.
“But it’s up to the coaches and we’ll see what squad they want to pick. Obviously, it would be in the back of your mind a bit but you still have to play well every week, and we’ll see where we are on the 19th.
“Obviously, the Lions was a goal, it is a goal, it’s a huge thing for players. It doesn’t come around that often. Being there the last time as well, you know what it’s going to be like and that’s an exciting part of it too. It’ll be nervy for the next week or so.”
O’Brien was part of the victorious 2013 Lions squad that toured Australia, with the Leinster man coming off the bench in the second test and starting the momentous third. It left a bittersweet taste in his mouth, with the then 26-year-old expecting to start every game.
“I’m more experienced,” he said, of the difference between his younger self and his current playing standard.
“I was frustrated with the last tour. Everything was going well at training and I was playing well in the midweek games. I wasn’t selected for the first Test, I was 24th man. Then I came off the bench in the second one and to start the third one was brilliant. I had mixed feelings on the last tour, but if selected it would be unbelievable again.”
With Stander, Heaslip and O’Mahony from Ireland alone putting their hands up for Lions inclusion in a packed backrow, it’s a good time for the Tullow man to prove he’s in the shape of his life.
“I feel good, I feel fit and I felt back to myself. It took a while,” he said. “I’m looking after myself very well, doing a lot of work on off days and non-training days and minding myself really well.
“There’s always stuff, there’s bits of us hanging off all the time! You just look after them as best you can and make sure you stay on top of them all the time.”
If selected, O’Brien is likely to have a few friends along, with four or five other Leinster players almost certain to travel. There may be more — and O’Brien believes Joey Carbery, man-of-the-match from full-back against Wasps, could be a possible tourist. “He could be a bolter, definitely,” he said. “Someone like him with a bit of X-factor He’s unpredictable.
“You see it in training when he’s stepping you. He’s an exciting player and he has an attacking mindset. He has all the attributes to go with it, he has good feet, he can kick, he’s strong for a small guy. He’s a really good kid.
"He’s not going around like he’s a big dog or anything. He keeps his head down. He’s a humble fella. He loves playing rugby. That’s where the confidence part comes in.”
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