Although he could not have done more to showcase both his ability and versatility in a breakthrough Autumn Series, such is the competition in the Irish squad that Jimmy O’Brien had to bide his time again before making his Six Nations debut in Rome last week.
Even then, he was only called into the matchday squad the day before the game due to Garry Ringrose’s withdrawal, akin to his Test debut against South Africa at around 24 hours’ notice last November after Robbie Henshaw was ruled out.
That day he was pressed into service as an outside centre after Stuart McCloskey’s withdrawal in the 27th minute. Having acquitted himself more than adequately in a difficult and relatively unfamiliar position, O’Brien backed that up with starts against Fiji and Australia. He looked the part in all three positions in all three games.
Last Saturday, there was just an eight-minute cameo at outside centre, featuring just one touch on the ball, albeit a neatly delayed short pass for Bundee Aki to make a half-break, while maintaining shape in what had been a problematic defensive area.
“I was just delighted I got on. Hopefully I get a bit more game-time now over the next few weeks. Who knows?”
O’Brien admits playing in the Six Nations felt slightly different from the autumnal Tests.
“It’s something you grew up watching, it was cool to play. I found out late in the day, similar to my first cap as well. Thankfully, my parents [Caroline and John] had booked the trip anyway and were going over regardless of whether I got in the squad.”
Hmm, you wonder why?
“Any excuse,” he said, in reference to a weekend in the Eternal City.
“It was really cool. I saw them straight after the game, it was class. When I got called in late I didn’t know if family could be there and that would have been disappointing.”
It helps to have what he admits is a “pretty laid-back” temperament when called into the matchday squad at relatively short notice.
“You just do your best routine, next man up focus, and you’re doing the same training as all of the rest of the lads, so you don’t feel discounted from the ‘23′ anyway I feel. Once they tell you you’re playing, you just switch into the game and have that mindset.”
It also helps to be so versatile. Stuart Lancaster runs him in training at ‘10′, where he started out with Newbridge College, and he’s had brief stints both there and even at scrumhalf for his province, although he has enough on his plate with Ireland.
“I haven’t gone Nos 9 or 10 yet, only for Leinster. Give it time,” he said, smiling. “Centres, each wing, fullback, yeah.”
Once upon a time players were said to sometimes be victims of their versatility, but when straining to break into this Irish team, it’s unquestionably a virtue.
“Definitely, yeah, that’s how I look at it. Growing up, when I was playing a couple of positions people thought as if it’s going to work against you or whatever, but I think now it works for me.
“I’m the kind of guy who can play multiple positions and I need to lean into that, that’s my strength; just make sure I know every position.
“The other day if I got put in wing, 13 or fullback, I’d know it. Outside centre is definitely the most demanding defensively.
“We saw at the weekend against Italy that their attack was very good and the amount of lines of running they had in the outside channels, Capuozzo is so quick, their wingers, they kept [Lorenzo] Cannone out in the No 13 channel and that’s so hard to defend. You definitely have to think about it mostly defensively.
“I was, I got on the ball once. On ‘D’, you’re trying to talk and bring some energy because the lads are obviously f***ed towards the end of the game. They’re blowing, you’re trying to get your chat up and give them that energy.”
The desire to earn more game time is intensified in the knowledge that this squad have also earned themselves the chance to achieve something special.
“Three from three is unbelievable and exactly where we wanted to be.
Win the two games it’s a Grand Slam and that’s what you dream of when you’re a kid, when you’re playing. The drive from everyone in the squad to get into that 15 or 23 is massive, the training is higher level.
“Everyone is on board and pushing for the same goal. The environment here is unbelievable. I came into it late; the lads have been building it for a couple of years. Everyone is good mates, there’s good craic, everyone gets on and there’s no bitching or moaning.
“Even when you’re not involved, you’d be talking to the lads that are saying ‘I saw this on the video, what do you think about this?’ The lads are all talking and helping each other out to get a good performance.”
O’Brien admits to feeling more comfortable in the environment after his whirlwind November, and it shows. He has taken a circuitous route like his good mate Hugo Keenan, or ‘Barry’ as he calls him, which evolved from ‘Barney’ due to a dodgy haircut in the latter’s under-20s days.
So, his impatience for more involvement is understandable, all the more so as his age was put into perspective when chatting with the Irish under-20s outhalf Sam Prendergast, an outstanding prospect, earlier this season in the Leinster set-up.
“He’s been playing unbelievably. He’s from my school, Newbridge, and he’s Cian’s younger brother. I remember asking him this and felt really old when he came training, saying: ‘do you remember when I was in sixth year and you were in first year?’ And he said: ‘nah, I was in sixth class’.
Laughing, O’Brien admitted: “I just thought ‘Jesus, I’m so much older than you’ and felt really bad.”
