LONG READ ‘You can’t go into your shell’ - Tommy O’Brien primed for Toulon after late big-time arrival

“There were definitely times where I doubted was it going to happen,” Tommy O’Brien confided, at the end of this year’s Six Nations. “I always had belief in my ability, it was just a case of if my body would play ball. Thankfully for the last year-and-a-half, I’ve managed to keep it in good nick and get a run. It’s such an important thing in rugby, getting a run of games.”

Remote interviews aside, there was an eight-year gap between myself and O’Brien being in the same room for a chat. Back in February 2018, Buccaneers RFC hosted the Ireland Under-20 and senior teams at Dubarry Park, as part of their Six Nations preparations.

The big boys, coached by Joe Schmidt, had already beaten France and Italy – two strides along the way to an eventual Grand Slam. O’Brien was captain of the U20s. They had lost their opener against a Romain Ntamack-inspired France before edging the Italians, in Donnybrook. The session in Athlone was to sharpen both sides for home games against Wales. Ireland’s young crop included Rónan Kelleher, Tom O’Toole, Jordan Duggan and Harry Byrne. O’Brien, though, was their brightest prospect.

The former Blackrock College pupil had made his U20s bow in the 2017 Six Nations, aged only 18. He was undertaking actuary and financial studies in University College Dublin, juggling lectures and assignments with the primary goal of becoming a rugby professional. O’Brien grew up in Foxrock and ended up playing Schools Cup rugby at Blackrock, like his father Michael.

O’Brien’s first significant ping on the Irish rugby radar came in 2013 when, aged 14, he helped Blackrock to a Leinster Junior Cup title. Caelan Doris played in the ‘Rock second row, that day. Four years later, O’Brien was garnering more attention for his try-scoring and some big tackles in his first ever Six Nations campaign, with the U20s.

“Attacking and scoring tries gets a lot of mentions,” he noted, “but it can be equally as satisfying making a defensive tackle or a turnover. I enjoy that side of the game.”

O’Brien had a couple of Six Nations cracks, at Under-20 level. Little did we know, back then, it would take him eight years to experience the full-blown thing. The Leinster back had to wait until he was 27 to experience rugby’s oldest championship.

I remember just being fed up. I thought, ‘I have a two-year contract here. I’m going to finish out this season and then I’ll see’.

His Leinster debut arrived in December 2019, starting at outside centre with Robbie Henshaw for company in a 54-42 barn-burner against Ulster. He played 20 times in his first three senior seasons before a nasty knee injury (ACL) ended the 2021/22 campaign abruptly, and cost him most of 2022/23. Following that, O’Brien was hindered by an ankle injury and persistent hamstring niggles. In January 2025, he was named for what was supposed to be his first Champions Cup start, against La Rochelle, only for that “infamous” hamstring to flare up.

“I remember just being fed up,” he told reporters earlier this month. “I thought, ‘I have a two-year contract here. I’m going to finish out this season and then I’ll see’.” O’Brien was pondering steps he would need to take in the world of finance, when Andy Farrell named him in an Ireland ‘A’ squad to take on England. That gave him pause for thought. Hope, too.

For the first time in years, O’Brien had a clear run. He started 11 games in the final four months of the season, all in the 14 jersey. He loved having “maverick” Jordie Barrett as a backline buddy and took a lot from the Kiwi’s stint at the province. Centre-turned-winger, he started the URC semi-final and final as Leinster powered by Glasgow and Bulls to win their first piece of silverware in four years.

Selected for Ireland’s summer 2025 games against Georgia and Portugal, O’Brien said: “I’ve known what I can do in training. That’s obviously been behind closed doors and the general public wouldn’t see it, but it gave me great confidence. You’re up against such high quality players… I always felt that I just needed a chance and a few games under my belt.”

His ambition, last summer, was to make a mark. “I definitely don’t want to be a one-cap wonder,” he stated. “I want this to be the start of something.” He scored twice against both Georgia and Portugal and another against Japan in November to take his tally to five in his first six Tests – also starting against New Zealand, Australia and South Africa – and drew praise from Farrell. When O’Brien’s Six Nations chance arrived, that start proved shakier.

Few Irish players emerged from the opening-night loss to France, back in February, with much credit. O’Brien, Jamie Osborne and Jacob Stockdale were part of an Irish back three that struggled, in the air and across the turf, against an electric French side. He missed out entirely on the Italy game but returned to wear No.23 against England. When James Lowe limped off after only 18 minutes, opportunity knocked anew. This time, O’Brien was ready. He scored a brilliant try in that 42-21 victory and ran in two more in the Triple Crown clincher against Scotland.

Tommy has had his fair share of injuries but has been performing unbelievably well for Leinster, these last couple of seasons.

Had Irish supporters been told, at the turn of this year, that Farrell would get only 98 combined Six Nations minutes from Lowe, Mack Hansen, Calvin Nash, Jimmy O’Brien and Hugo Keenan, they would have feared the worst. The new-look back three – for the most part – saw (Tommy) O’Brien, Rob Baloucoune and Jamie Osborne providing a real attacking spark. Paris was dicey but the trio would ultimately contribute 10 tries, 13 line-breaks, eight offloads and 548 metres gained between them.

After that Triple Crown win, O’Brien spoke about how nothing ever seems to faze Osborne, his Leinster team-mate, and noted how Baloucoune was finally showing the world what he was capable of, “after his body not playing ball there, for a while”.

For Baloucoune, the feeling is mutual. “It’s class,” the Ulster winger told me. “Tommy has had his fair share of injuries but has been performing unbelievably well for Leinster, these last couple of seasons. He’s got his opportunity now with Ireland to put his stamp down and he certainly has. We probably both came into the squad as competition, but it worked out well. Us playing well together also works out well. It’s great to see him really performing, and also staying injury free.”

At that press conference after the Scotland win, O’Brien’s eyes narrowed as a reporter listed out some of those previous injury woes. He did not need to hear it all hashed back. He has been there – early to rise, staring back at gym mirror reflections – through each and every slog. He has walked every step of those lonely comeback trails.

Before every game, standing in the tunnel and awaiting the signal to run out, O’Brien reminds himself: ‘This is what you dreamed of, this is what all those hard days of rehabbing on your own was all for, and this is what makes it all worth it.’

A measured character on press duty, O’Brien is not shy sharing opinions. His pitch and mannerisms are low-key. So much so, you can often miss a strong line or moment of introspection until you are listening back. Very much like another of Irish rugby’s deep thinkers, Keith Earls. It is no surprise to hear the two got on well when the former Munster and Ireland star was invited into Ireland’s training camp earlier this year.

We all would have done anything to get back here. Now that we are here, we’re excited to go out and give it a lash.

O’Brien was 17, preparing to go into his final year at Blackrock College, when Leinster last took on Toulon in the Champions Cup. Two of his heroes, Johnny Sexton and Bryan Habana, were on opposite sides of the pitch that day as the French side won 25-20 after extra time.

“I remember the intercept [for Habana’s try], unfortunately,” O’Brien recalls. “Ian Madigan [whose pass was intercepted] won’t be loving the whole build-up, all week, to this match. That will probably come up a couple of times. That was an unbelievable Toulon side, from that period. Leinster always put it up to them but fell short around then.”

“This one is massive,” he says of Saturday’s Champions Cup semi-final encounter with Toulon. “We talked about the disappointment of the semi-final loss [against Northampton] last year. We were all sitting in that changing room back then, thinking we’d love another crack at a semi-final. We’ve had to wait a year to get back here. We got through a lot of tough games to get us back to this position. We all would have done anything to get back here. Now that we are here, we’re excited to go out and give it a lash.”

There is a picture O’Brien fondly regards. It holds as a reminder of where he has come from and how the future is what you make of it. In February 2024, after an ‘Origin Round’ fixture against Benetton Treviso, he was pictured with fellow Blackrock alumni – Thomas Clarkson, Liam Turner and Ben Brownlee – in the socks representing his old school. Two years on, he and Clarkson are Ireland internationals. Turner is playing in France’s Pro D2, while Brownlee’s last stint was in New Zealand with North Harbour.

“It’s always an ever-evolving group,” O’Brien reflects. “There’s always people coming in and out. Each season is its’ own thing… we’re very much focused on this team’s journey, this season.”

Focusing more on the personal journey, O’Brien is delighted to be lacing up and knowing he will have a say in this season’s crunch ties. “I’ve watched lots of finals and semi-finals from up in the stands, throughout the years,” he says, “whether that was from my being injured or not selected. To get to the stage now where I’m playing these big games is something I definitely don’t take for granted. It’s why you play rugby.”

“Semi-finals can bring a lot of pressure rugby,” he adds. “Nobody wants to make a mistake, first. Something we talk about is making sure not to go into our shells, so we can still play our game. These are high-intensity games where no-one wants to make mistakes, but you can’t let that limit you. You can’t go into your shell.”