Willing disciple O'Brien embracing roaming role 

Adept at full-back, wing and centre, Jimmy O’Brien relishes what Ireland’s coaching team asks of its players.

VERSATILE: Jimmy O'Brien. Pic: ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan

Mack Hansen and James Lowe are rewriting the rugby wing’s handbook with their roving mission across the Irish backline. 

Yet as they apply the philosophies of Andy Farrell and attack coach Mike Catt to ditch the pre-ordained rigidity of the numbers on their backs, their squad-mate Jimmy O’Brien is the living embodiment of the practice.

Adept at full-back, wing and centre, O’Brien relishes what Ireland’s coaching team asks of its players and the 26-year-old appears set to showcase his skillset this Saturday night when Ireland face Samoa at Bayonne’s Stade Jean Dauger, at least if his appearance in front of the media yesterday was any guide.

Already in his six-cap international career, O’Brien has worn the 11 and 15 jerseys while off the bench he made his Test debut at outside centre having replaced Stuart McCloskey in the victory over world champions South Africa, his introduction pushing Leinster colleague Garry Ringrose to number 12.

In a squad where flanker Josh van der Flier has thrown lineouts against Scotland in a Six Nations campaign, the same afternoon Cian Healy scrummaged at hooker, versatility is key, a point underlined yesterday by Catt.

Speaking about wingers getting involved, as Hansen displayed in last Saturday’s 29-10 win over England when he supplied the Crossfield kick for midfield for Ringrose to score Ireland’s second try of a five-try victory, Catt declared: “That’s non-negotiable there, they will be involved in every play. Every player will be involved in every play. It has to for us to work.” 

In O’Brien, they have a willing disciple.

“Yeah, 100 percent and definitely with the wingers as well,” O’Brien said. Like you saw Mack at the weekend, kick the crossfield, he was in behind the shape, like a 12 or 13 and kicking to Garry who was out on his wing.

“You’re definitely told to just get into the space. It’s not like ‘I’m a winger, I’m staying on my left wing here, I’m not moving’. You’re told to work off the ball, get into different areas and everyone’s comfortable, or everyone has to be comfortable at first receiver, out the back shapes, on the wing sometimes, even in the backfield and stuff like that.

“So yeah, definitely it suits the way I play.” 

O’Brien, who began his rugby life as a schoolboy fly-half, was asked if there was ever a moment in a position where he felt uncomfortable and an early Leinster appearance immediately sprang to mind.

“The first game I played wing was Glasgow away and I was on the left wing, I didn’t really know how to get into the game or what a winger should do.

“Dave Kearney had played wing a lot that season while I was full-back, so I was thinking ‘what does Dave usually do?’ Stand on the wing and score tries usually!

“It was a bit alien to me, I remember talking to Felipe Contepomi who was our backs coach at the time and telling him I didn’t enjoy it and he just told me not to play like a winger; play like you’re playing 13 or 15 – get off your wing, play behind shapes, go into first receiver. I just started doing that and I loved it ever since.

“So get off your wing, in behind shapes, play off ‘10’, get in at first receiver. So, I just started doing that and loved it ever since.”