Seán O’Brien eyes November Tests: ‘Joe knows what I can bring’

By Ciarán Ó Raghallaigh

Seán O’Brien says he’d be “pissed off” if he was left out Joe Schmidt’s squad for this November’s international Test matches.

Schmidt will announce his squad today to face Italy, Argentina, New Zealand, and USA in Chicago and Dublin next month.

The Leinster flanker has not played for Ireland since last November, missing the Six Nations and Ireland’s tour of Australia through injury.

But he played over an hour against Toulouse last Sunday, and has played in four games in a row for the province for the first time since 2012.

He’s likely to start in Treviso on Saturday, and if things go to plan, he’d like to follow that up with a game against Benetton’s Italian players in north America a week later.

Of course I would be pissed off, if I didn’t get the email [from the IRFU], I would want to know why,” he said.

“I wouldn’t be saying ‘oh it is because I haven’t got much game time.’ The only way I will get up to speed is to get as much game time as possible.

“It’s a long time since I strung two 60s (minutes) together. The last few weeks has been a big positive for me. The last time I had four in a row was 2012, between player management and whatever else.”

The 31 year-old has endured a tough few seasons, but is never short of self confidence when it comes to a selection decision like this.

“I’m not worried, it is what it is,” he said. “I think Joe knows what I can bring. I know what I can do. That’s the decision the coaches will make.

“I’m happy with my progress. Last weekend was another step up again. I did some good things, some poor things that just weren’t sharp enough. Other than that I’m going in the right direction.

“It’s about getting time, hopefully this weekend get more time and see where I am at then. I am heading in the right direction rather than going the other way.”

O’Brien says the last time he fully “felt like himself” was last December’s Champions Cup win over Exeter, but Schmidt knows what the Tullow Tank can do when at full pace and will be hopeful of seeing him back at that level before the All Blacks arrive in Dublin in three and a half weeks.

“It’ll be interesting to see what Joe’s thoughts are, Ireland’s back row stocks now are pretty strong aren’t they?” Leinster coach Stuart Lancaster said. “When Seánie was playing for the Lions, there’s no doubt he was the out and out first choice, but since then Josh [van der Flier] has come back, Dan’s [Leavy] back this week, you’ve also got CJ Stander and [Peter] O’Mahony, and Jack Conan coming through.

Seán’s getting better game by game, the more games he gets the better he gets, the more training minutes the better, his instincts are always very good, you’re not struggling there with experience and instinct. It’ll be interesting to see, this is a big weekend for him, he played more than we were thinking at the weekend, with Josh coming off, but he got through that fine, and he’ll play this weekend and it’s up to Joe.

In an ideal world, O’Brien would get a run out against Benetton, play another hour or so against Italy, rest for the Argentina game then get a shot at the All Blacks. Steve Hansen’s team showed some rare weaknesses during the Rugby Championship this year, but to go so far as saying Leinster were as good as them took the biscuit as far as O’Brien was concerned.

“It’s pure shite isn’t it! Whoever is writing those headlines is living in their own world,” he said.

It’s not realistic. How can you compare an All Black international team to a provincial team?

When told it wasn’t just some enthusiastic sub-editors causing such a furore it was actually World Cup winner Lawrence Dallaglio, O’Brien smiled.

“He should know better shouldn’t he? That’s their perception. I can honestly say that is not our perception.

“We’re trying to create an environment and a set-up that is ours. We would never compare ourselves to the All Blacks now or in the future in any respect.”