The hamstring tore so excruciatingly at Stade de France that his face was buried in the turf for almost a full minute. Not wanting to reconnect with the world around him as everything was crashing down.
CJ Stander. Sean O’Brien. Jamie Heaslip. All together and all promising so much.
February 13th 2016 in Paris and Ireland looked to be onto something, for 18 minutes anyway. A positive start was followed by three awful injuries, with none of Dave Kearney, Mike McCarthy or O’Brien making it to half-time. Ireland lost and their Six Nations championship defence was done.
O’Brien would be out of action for seven months. That was hamstring tear number four and that, combined with a bad shoulder injury, saw him miss 21 of 32 Ireland Tests over two and a half years. He feared his time as a rugby player was over at the age of just 29.
Ronan O’Gara recalled a conversation he had with O’Brien last year, which shows just how close O’Brien’s rugby career came to being written off. He told The Hard Yards:
“Sean has that aura about him now where you just need him in your team. It has taken some people a lot time [to see that]. I think Irish people have always felt that way but it was interesting to see [Lions coaches] Neil Jenkins and Rob Howley speak glowingly about Seanie because not alone is he a great rugby player but he adds great value to the dressing room. He adds value and he’s not afraid of playing anywhere.
“He will be so excited going into Eden Park at the weekend. This is exactly why he plays.
“Sometimes people ask ‘What’s a big game player?’ Sean O’Brien is a big game player.
“Not so long ago I remember meeting him and it could have been career over. He was not too sure if the hamstring was going to get through it. He was very, very nervous.
“And yet he went away and he worked his socks off and I think it’s a great reward for a guy who had all those mental demons and now can come back and have these massive moments.”
Check out the full O’Gara chat on O’Brien from 36:20 [below]:
O’Brien has arguably been the best Lions player on the 2017 tour and he has certainly made his presence felt in each and every game he has featured in.
The Kiwis are comparing him to Richie McCaw, one of the greatest loose forwards world rugby has ever seen, and many are calling him the best openside in the game right now. The only other men that could push him close are David Pocock and the man who he will face off against for the third weekend running, Sam Cane.
One more serious injury and O’Brien may have been forced to call time. Forced to watch on from afar as someone else lived out his dreams.
He’s there, though, and he is in the form of his life.
Immortality may not exactly beckon but win on Saturday and he can see out his days, way, way in the future, with a smile on his face and one hell of a story to tell.
