'Crooked fingers and a nose that can't smell much, but it's fine'
Sean O’Brien beamed his best smile when asked the other day by RugbyPass how his body is feeling with the curtain set to fall on his stellar playing career this Saturday when London Irish visit The Rec. As wonderful as it has been watching his prodigious talent in full flight ever since making a September 2008 debut for Leinster, his time in the game was also blighted by multiple serious injuries.
So many column inches over his years with his native province and also with Ireland, the Lions and the Exiles were dedicated to medical bulletins and projected recovery details. It is a testament to his stubbornness and his inspired determination that despite these repeated setbacks he lasted 14 seasons.
All the more heartwarming is that he will walk away on his own terms at the age of 35 without any major lasting damage. “I have got out it right bar something happening this weekend. I’m touching wood here,” quipped O’Brien ahead of his final run out for London Irish.
“That is the really nice thing about finishing now as well with all the speculation around my body and health and injuries over the years. I work hard on it, I work hard to mind myself as best I can. I still think I’m 25 in my head at times out there but then something reminds me that I’m not.
“It’s in good shape. I feel good, I feel strong. I am hopefully leaving with everything intact. Obviously, you have the normal stuff, you have a few fingers that are crooked and a nose that you can’t smell too much through but other than that it’s fine.”
It was April 8 when O’Brien took to social media to announce his retirement this weekend at the end of his third season with London Irish. At the time he explained it was just a realisation on his part that he wanted a normal life but exactly what is a normal life for the former Ireland star who enshrined himself in Lions legend when finishing off the length-of-field try versus the All Blacks in Auckland in 2017?
“I just think it’s more so you have your weekends back. I’m quite an intense character during the week, I try to keep pushing things as much as I can within the environment and try and keep lads getting better and try and keep my own standards very high at training. Normal life will be a lot less pressure in terms of me putting it on myself, me putting it on other people around me.
“And then just having your weekends, not missing weekends, connecting with old friends that I have drifted away from over the years. There are a lot of bits and pieces. I suppose I see my two best friends at home, they meet up maybe on a Friday or Saturday evening for two hours, have a couple of pints and off home with them back to their families.
“So small things like that are stuff that I missed for the last ten years. I’m looking forward to just having a bit more freedom and a bit less structure in my life probably is normal life for me. I’ll get back home and do a bit of farming as well hopefully at some point or if I don’t get back home I’ll find a farm over here somewhere to have a bit of work on.”
With the season at London Irish ending, O’Brien had a taste of what those weekends will be like when visiting Jersey last weekend for a veteran’s match involving his brother Stephen and he will likely be at it again next weekend when Leinster go in search of their fifth star in Marseille in their latest Heineken Champions Cup final appearance.
“I will probably be in Marseille, not on a jolly now but I could be working there,” he said, adding what he got up last weekend in the Channel Islands. “I was down there at the veteran’s game, went to see my brother Stephen play. That was a great day, a massive event in Jersey, a real good atmosphere around.
“I have been over there most summers so it’s good to catch up with lads like that as well. While I was only there for the day, I flew back that evening to London, it was great craic, great fun and a great buzz around the place.”
How would O’Brien like to be remembered as a rugby player who wowed at Leinster, Ireland, the Lions and London Irish? “I just think someone who has given it all to the game in terms of whenever I could. That is important to me. I think I have left everything out there and I hope people think that as well.”
They do judging by the feedback received in the six weeks since he revealed his intention to hang up the boots. “It was very humbling to see the amount of support and the amount of good messages that are coming your way. There are so many really, really nice, genuine people out there. It reminds you of putting smiles on faces during games and giving people entertainment, it kind of came back to me when people were messaging me about it.
At the end of the 2021/22 season, I will be retiring from professional rugby.
I've enjoyed every second of my career and can't thank my friends and family enough for their support.
Thank you,
Sean. pic.twitter.com/kEvhDUBXhn— Sean O'Brien (@SeanOBrien1987) April 8, 2022
“It’s quite a nice feeling to have, that you have done that over your career, you have entertained people, you have given them inspiration, young people from my own club (in Tullow), young people from the south-east of Ireland, bits and pieces like that. It does mean a lot to me to know that I entertained in some shape, way or form and left rugby in a better place.”
O’Brien wasn’t 100 per cent certain about what he will do next when he did London Irish media on Thursday before packing up his gear back for one final match. He has options to go into coaching. Some business avenues also exist and he promised to talk it all through in the coming weeks and reach a definite decision.
The thing is if not missing weekends with friends and family is potentially a perk of his retirement from playing, wouldn’t coaching kind of put a stop to that freedom? “It’s a different type of rugby stress, a lot more organisation and planning goes into it rather than being a player and then the bit of messaging that you try and portray as a coach are completely different to the ones that you try and portray as a player.
“So if I go down that route it will be a learning curve as well but it is something I have managed pretty well over my career in terms of managing people, delivering messages in the right tone and the right way and that is just something that if I do go into that coaching role, whether it be here (in England) or at home that it’s something I will have to learn.
“I always think when you are changing careers or starting a new job you are an academy graduate again so there is a lot to learn the whole way through this process if I go down that route but having coached since I have been in my early 20s, I think I have enough game knowledge.
“Having played at the level I played at I have seen what good and bad looks like in the different set-ups so I hopefully can pull on some of that experiences as well to help me if I go down that route,” he said, adding that he has spoken to numerous old teammates about their transition away from playing and into a different career.
“The main thing I have got out of it is to get into something that you enjoy straight away because with rugby and playing it for so long, it’s an enjoyment. Maybe lads don’t think you are enjoying it because you are driving things but it’s an enjoyable environment to come in and see all the boys in the morning, have a bit of craic, have a bit of a skit with each other, a bit of banter throughout the day so I will miss that.
“I will miss it in the changing room, having that bit of fun with the boys, so it’s making sure that whatever I am doing outside of rugby now when I finish that I am actually enjoying it and I am adding value wherever I am in business or rugby. That is what I am going to try and do. I am going to try and enjoy it and soak it all up.”
We wish him well in whatever he does. Thanks for the many memories, Seanie.
Comments on RugbyPass
I like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
8 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
8 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
8 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
8 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
3 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to comments