Tommy O'Brien keen to build on injury-free run of games in blue and green

O'Brien's career was sentenced to the purgatory of successive injuries for far too many years. That has, finally, hopefully, changed with the 27-year-old profiting from a prolonged period of fitness and promptly making inroads with club and country.

Leinster's Tommy O'Brien scores a try. Pic: Ryan Byrne/Inpho

You can prepare as diligently as possible, eat right and sleep right, turn up for training and match days exploding with positive energy, but there isn’t much anyone can do if the sporting gods are of a mind to interfere.

Jordan Larmour was having a wonderful evening against Harlequins at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday night, scoring two tries before a hamstring injury prompted him to pound the turf and end his night with just minutes to go.

The sight of the Leinster winger sitting dejected on the bench as TV cameras framed him for the man of the match award only heightened the suspicion of those pernicious deities twisting the knife. This is a player who missed half of last season with a similar injury.

Tommy O’Brien knows how that can feel.

His career was sentenced to the purgatory of successive injuries for far too many years. That has, finally, hopefully, changed with the 27-year-old profiting from a prolonged period of fitness and promptly making inroads with club and country.

His first two Test caps were earned in Georgia and Portugal over the summer. He followed up with a leading role for Andy Farrell’s Ireland over the November window and then a frankly delicious try against 'Quins in Ballsbridge last weekend.

“It's really nice, I guess, just to get a run of games. Obviously there's lads getting injuries in here and I'm seeing them every day, so I know what they're going through. Even Jordan, having to pull up at the weekend, it's tough for him.

“He's worked so hard, you can see how good he was when he came back in, how desperate he is to play and get game time. So it's brutal in that sense for guys. Then on the other hand, when you get your opportunities, you've got to just enjoy it and make the most of it.” 

The try deserves more than a fleeting mention.

There was an hour played with 'Quins still only a handful of points behind when Harry Byrne’s crosskick put O’Brien into reverse and all but pinned to the touchline with the Harlequins full-back closing in.

The cul-de-sac was circumvented by the most delicate of grubbers, leaving Cameron Anderson with no option but to allow the winger breeze past him, collect the bouncing ball and cross over for a crucial try.

It was a score that seemed to speak for a player oozing confidence.

It was, but it was also a move planted in the player's mind two days earlier when one of the coaches singled it out as an option to keep in mind for that very circumstance, not least against a side whose full-back defended in such a narrow channel.

“So yeah, it was kind of in the back of my mind. Those kind of things happen very quickly, so I can't say I was really thinking about it. It just kind of happened. Sometimes it's the best idea.” 

If not quite flow state, then it is still an example of how players can ride the wave of momentum and confidence that comes with a healthy body and a mind that is liberated by a growing body of form and confidence.

O’Brien’s reasons for cheer aren’t limited to all this progress on the field with his engagement to girlfriend Zoe Connolly announced just days after the fourth of his November Test starts with Ireland and after eight-and-a-half years as a couple.

“If Carlsberg could do months,” he shared on social media at the time.

Fans and media rarely see past the public persona and behind the private curtain when players’ performances are being appraised, or the rehab room that is their 9-to-5. Connolly has been there for O’Brien through all the years of injury setbacks.

That foundation can’t be overstated.

“Exactly, yeah. It's your rock and your support network that you have, because as you said, I've gone through a lot of down moments and she's been there and she doesn't care about if I play or don't play or anything like that.

“She just wants me to do whatever my dream is and support my dream. So whenever injuries happen and stuff like that, she knows how much it affects me, but she's obviously a fantastic support in that sense of being able to just talk about something else. If I want to have a rant, she's able to listen to that as well.

“But thankfully now it's nice that things are going well and I'm able to have a few good days out and it's fantastic to give some of those good days out for not only Zoe, but my parents and my grandparents and all that kind of stuff as well.”