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Question marks have been raised about Sean O’Brien’s future after it was revealed on Sunday that the Ireland flanker will miss the World Cup this year with a hip injury.
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The flanker missed Leinster’s Pro14 final win over Glasgow at the weekend, and will require surgery, which will put him out of the game for six months.
With a move to London Irish agreed for next season, that brings an end to both his Leinster and Ireland career in the cruelest fashion.
In a career that has been dogged by injuries, which has seen him have over 20 operations, this is yet another problem that will leave him on the sidelines for an extended period of time. While many fans are lamenting the way his international career has ended, and the ramifications of his absence at the World Cup in Japan, some are being realistic about what this latest injury may mean for the 32-year-old.
While his age may suggest that O’Brien has a few more years left in him, he has been playing international rugby for a decade now, and his injuries have taken their toll. Many fans are now questioning whether he will be able to return to rugby again, with retirement becoming a very real possibility.
Already this season O’Brien’s form has been questioned since returning from injury, as he has undeniably failed to reach the impressive heights he has in years before. He has only managed to make 10 appearances for Leinster this past season, and has subsequently struggled to gain any form.
This is a harsh truth, particularly for London Irish who are set to benefit from his services next season, but it is one that is increasingly becoming possible.
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This is what the fans have said:
https://twitter.com/Jamesscanner/status/1132725682843340800?s=20
https://twitter.com/mosstradamouse/status/1132694739558510592?s=20
https://twitter.com/mosstradamouse/status/1132923366493564933?s=20
https://twitter.com/The_Culk/status/1132656841471725569?s=20
https://twitter.com/HBHoran86/status/1132648648687460352?s=20
https://twitter.com/MLaffan/status/1132670098760720384?s=20
https://twitter.com/manitaka81/status/1132652572546949123?s=20
Sad news on Sean O'Brien missing the WC.Wonder will this injury be the ending of his career? Wishing him well
— Ken O'Grady (@kogrady74) May 26, 2019
While this would be a sad end to one of Ireland’s greats, there is no denying that he has had a glittering career. He has been a member of a Leinster squad that have won four European titles, and an Irish team that have won a Grand Slam and as well as two more Six Nations titles.
O’Brien was a pivotal figure in both the 2013 and 2017 British and Irish Lions series, earning a win over Australia and a draw with New Zealand.
He was named European Player of the Year in 2011, in what will probably be remembered as his standout season, capped off with a fine display at the World Cup.
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However, since making his Ireland debut in 2009, his 56 caps reflect how many games he has missed due to injury. Had he remained fit, he could well be a centurion now, as he has always been one of the first names on the team sheet.
Unfortunately for him, O’Brien’s career in Ireland, and perhaps altogether, ended with Leinster’s loss to Saracens in the Champions Cup final, which is no way to bow out for one of Ireland’s greats.
Comments on RugbyPass
If rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to commentsSouth Africa rarely play Ireland and France on these tours. Mostly, England, Scotland and Wales. I wonder why
1 Go to commentsIt was a let’s-see-what-you're-made-of type of a game. The Bulls do look good when the opposition allows them to, but Munster shut them down, and they could not find a way through. Jake should be very worried about their chances in the competition.
2 Go to commentsHats off to Fabian for a very impressive journey to date. Is it as ‘uniquely unlikely’ as Rugby Pass suggests, given Anton Segner’s journey at the Blues?
1 Go to commentsSad that this was not confirmed. When administrators talk about expanding the game they evidently don’t include pathways to the top tier of rugby for teams outside of the old boys club. Rugby deserves better, and certainly Georgia does.
1 Go to commentsLions might take him on if they move on Van Rooyen but I doubt he will want to go back, might consider it a step backwards for himself. Sharks would take him on but if Plumtree goes on to win the challenge cup they will keep him on. Also sharks showing some promising signs recently. Stormers and Bulls are stable and Springboks are already filled up. Quality coach though, interesting to see where he ends up
1 Go to commentsAnd the person responsible for creating a culture of accountability is?
3 Go to commentsMore useless words from Ben Smith -Please get another team to write about. SA really dont need your input, it suck anyway.
264 Go to commentsThis disgraceful episode must result in management and coach team sackings. A new manager with worse results than previous and the coaching staff need to coached. Awful massacre led by donkeys.
1 Go to commentsInteresting article with one glaring mistake. This sentence: “And between the top four nations right now, Ireland, France, South Africa, and New Zealand…” should read: And between the top four nations right now, South Africa, Ireland, New Zealand and France…”. Get it right wistful thinkers, its not that hard.
24 Go to commentsHow did Penny get the gig anyway?
3 Go to commentsNice write up Nick and I would have agreed a week ago. However as you would know Cale & co got absolutely monstered by the Blues back row of Sotutu, Ioane and Papaliti and not all of these 3 are guaranteed a start in the Black jumper. He may need to put some kgs before stepping up, Spring tour? After the week end Joe will be a bit more restless. Will need to pick a mobile tough pack for Wales and hope England does the right thing and bashes the ABs. I like your last paragraph but I would bring Swinton, Hannigan into the 6 role and Bobby V to 8
23 Go to commentsThe Crusaders can still get in to the Play Off’s. The imminent return of outstanding captain Scott Barrett and his All Black team mate Codie Taylor will be a big boost.There are others like Tamaiti Williams too. Two home games coming up. Fellow Crusader fans get there and support these guys. I will be.
1 Go to commentsCant get more Wellington than Proctor.
2 Go to commentsWhy not let the media decide. Like how they choose the head coach. Like most of us we entrust the rugby system to choose. A rugby team includes the coaches. It's collective.
14 Go to commentsHi NIck, I have been very impressed with him and he seems a smart player who can see opportunities which Bobby V _(who must be an international 6_) doesn’t see or have the speed to take advantage of. If he continues to improve and puts on 5kgs then he could be a great 8. He is a bit taller than Keiran Reid at 1.93m and 111 kgs, so his skill set fits his body size and who knows where it will lead. I hope the spate of Achilles tendon issues have been dealt with by the S&C people. It’s been a very long time since Mark Loane and Kefu stood out at 8. The question is will we be able to hold onto him, if he does make it he will be pretty hot property. I disagree with the idea of letting them go to the Northern Hemisphere and then bring them back.
23 Go to commentsBilly Fulton 🤣🤣🤣🤣 garrrmon not even close
14 Go to commentsDoes the AI take into account refs? hahaha Seriously why not have two on field refs to avoid bias?
24 Go to commentsVern challenging this Blues side might be the edge they need to fulfill their potential. Convincing results from strong D and strong carries are hard to argue against.
1 Go to commentsLove seems to add a strong back field defense with speed to close the gap and tackle to his ability to attack, kick and pass (an accurate long pass). This sets him an edge over some of the other names - JRK in particular. Has to be said that Jordan and Stevenson have also been exposed defensively while Love has yet to face test match intensity. Spoilt for choice.
1 Go to comments