'I'm happy once I'm just on the pitch': Versatile Seán O'Brien taking centre stage at Munster

Munster's Sean O'Brien. Pic ©INPHO/Dan Clohessy

Few players could have been happier about Jared Payne’s arrival as an attack coach at Munster this season than Seán O’Brien. The former Ulster and Ireland centre was the player whom the budding teenager modelled his game on, in defence and attack, and Saturday night’s United Rugby Championship clash with the Bulls at Thomond Park seems like perfect timing for O’Brien to showcase his own abilities in a rare outing in the number 13 jersey.

With Alex Nankivell joining Tom Farrell (shoulder) on the sidelines with a head injury, the 28-year-old from Westmeath is the next cab off the rank at outside centre, partnering Dan Kelly in midfield against the South African powerhouse.

Having started his professional career at Connacht, O’Brien was signed from Exeter Chiefs in summer 2023 having played most of his rugby at 13. As he explained this week to the Irish Examiner, his outings there at Munster have been sporadic.

“I've definitely done 10 or 15 minutes here and there off the bench, but for the most part it's always been at 12,” O’Brien said.

“Muscle memory-wise, it's like riding a bike, isn't it? No, I've got plenty of reps in training this week. I think defending scrums and lineouts is probably the only real difference between 12 and 13, and it's a big one.

“But I would like to think I'm quite comfortable there, especially with how many reps we've done this week and the work we've put into our D over the last few weeks. I feel confident going in.

“I've played a couple of A games and friendly matches at 13, but first competitive game at 13. I think when I came over I would have been probably more of a 13, so it's nothing too unfamiliar to me.  

“I'd like to think I'm quite versatile, so I think 12, 13, wing, I don't really mind too much where I'm playing. I'm happy once I'm just on the pitch.” 

Yet having such a renowned former 13 as Payne, 41, for an attack coach has made a big difference to O’Brien and the team, the player believes.

“It's massive. I think the strikes he's brought in for us this year have been very good. Execution has probably let us down a few times but when we're getting our execution right, the players themselves and the detail that goes into them are second to none.

“It's on us as players to just nail the execution of them but once we start doing that regularly, it'll be a nightmare for teams to defend. In terms of just now, especially as a 13, I know the lads playing 15 and stuff as well. Just the little nuggets of information he gives out are unbelievable.

“He was obviously a world-class defender so having that wisdom to rely on during the week is massive as well.” 

Payne’s class as a player and defensive leader in Joe Schmidt’s Ireland team before his premature retirement due to a head injury on the 2017 British & Irish Lions tour to his native New Zealand, made a big impression on the young O’Brien.

“I think I was probably 16 to 18 when he was around his peak and I was learning a lot more about the nuanced side of rugby, not just who's the fastest, who's the strongest, the smaller details you don't really notice when you're younger.

“He was somebody who, the more I learned about rugby, the higher he went up in my estimation, especially from the defensive side of the ball. He was somebody, especially in that 13 jersey, that you'd always be trying to model your game around.” 

Ahead of his run at outside centre, O’Brien ticked off the two other positions in one game as Munster opened their 2026-27 account with 26-20 defeat at home to Glasgow Warriors last Saturday. 

Starting at inside centre, he played his part in the try of the game scored on 14 minutes as Munster pulled off one of Payne’s well-rehearsed starter plays off a lineout inside the 22, moving the ball at pace from right to left before hobbling full-back Mike Haley exploited space in a stretched Glasgow defence to put in Ben O’Connor for the five points. Haley was forced off with a knee injury soon after and the backline reshuffle sent O’Brien back to the wing.

“I was looking forward to getting a start at 12, but I think it was after 15 minutes I was shoved out to the wing again, but 80 minutes was good,” he said.

“Obviously it was a disappointing result. We feel like we did a lot of things well and a lot of things right and played some good rugby, but our discipline just killed us.” 

With 15 penalties conceded, O’Brien knows Munster can ill afford similar generosity to the Bulls this time around.

“We feel like we did a lot well in the game, and we played some good rugby, we defended really well for a lot of it. Probably just a couple of mental errors or one missed tackle and they're 40 yards down the pitch, but the discipline was the biggest one. We just shot ourselves in the foot really, so we've talked a lot about that this week.

“Hopefully we should see a big change in that now, and that will help us play in the right areas of the pitch and keep pressure on them as opposed to giving away a silly penalty on the halfway line and next thing we're defending their maul 10 or 15 yards from our line. When you're playing a team like the Bulls and they've a quality set-piece and a big pack up front, they'll be licking their lips if we give them easy access into our 22 like that.”