We often take our heroes for granted.
Sean O’Brien is currently in the land of the rugby giants and in the form of his life.
He went into his first game of the Lions Tour, against Crusaders, having not played for 70 days. He ran amok for 55 minutes and left the fray with the Lions well on top.
The following week, he found another level and thundered into the Maori All Blacks. Try as they did to take him out of the action, he always found a way back in. 82 minutes – whistle to whistle – and he was winning turnovers and flinging himself into rucks until the death.
In the First Test against New Zealand, he was the only Lions forward to carry a real attacking threat. You would have forgiven most of the Lions pack for pinning their hopes on the backs to finish off Liam Williams’ swerving line break but O’Brien gulped some air and horsed off in support of them.
He got his reward but it was scant in terms of a ghastly scoreboard that read NEW ZEALAND 30-15 LIONS.
Helluva Lions try pic.twitter.com/0vazvAMt23
— James Dart (@James_Dart) June 24, 2017
The Lions went to Wellington seeking redemption. Peter O’Mahony and George Kruis were replaced by Sam Warburton and Maro Itoje. Both men stepped up and had fine games but O’Brien was better. At ‘The Cake Tin’, he was the best.
It was not a perfect, flawless performance but none of the 38 players that featured that rain-soaked evening could claim that. He delivered the standard turnovers, forceful clear-outs, carries and tackles but proved an immovable pillar in the lead-up to Toby Faletau’s try.
He played the entire match too and was part of a fierce rearguard action that stalled the Kiwis too far from drop goal range, let alone the Lions’ 22. The tourists won and the Test Series was back on the line.
O’Brien had plenty of fans in New Zealand beforehand. Following that 24-21 victory, Andy Rowe of The Rugby Pod called the Carlow native ‘The best 7 in the game’.
https://twitter.com/AndyRoweOnline/status/882706448949575680
Here’s what others are saying about ‘The Tullow Tank’:
Steve Hansen: “The Lions played really, really well and the first try they scored will go down in the annals of Test history as one of the best tries ever scored.”
Phil Gifford (Stuff): “He’s a flanker so tough and hard-edged he’s basically a roll of barbed wire in boots.”
Daniel McHardy (NZ Herald): “We’re all card-carrying members of the Sean O’Brien fan-club.”
Nigel Yalden (NZ Herald): “I’m the president buddy. I’m the president! I’d put him right up there with Richie McCaw. I know there will be some Kiwis that will want to curse me to damnation and back again but I think he is literally that good. I think he is quality.”
Rob Howley: “Sean is a very motivational person. His performances on the field have suggested he’s back to his best. He’s very powerful, he’s very dynamic, he’s very strong.”
And yet there have been quibbles. There have been complaints.
Radio Sport NZ suggested O’Brien was one of the main offenders for intentionally slowing down the game with borderline legal tactics and, occasionally, giving up penalties to prevent more dangerous situations developing.
“We just want to play!” All Blacks captain Kieran Read declared at one stage of the Second Test. O’Brien was letting them play, but on his terms.
Wales Online went so far as to state O’Brien was one of Lions players who could cost his team the series due to indiscipline and concession of needless penalties. Of the 24 penalties the Lions have conceded, O’Brien tops the list at five. Mako Vunipola [4] gave all his away in Wellington while Faletau, Itoje, Kruis and Conor Murray have all given away two each. Seven others have transgressed once.
Looking back at the penalties O’Brien has given away, one was a harsh offside call after an All Blacks lineout and two were for pouncing on loose ball only to be isolated and not properly backed up by teammates [see below].
Credit: Sky Sport NZThe other penalties were for not releasing after the tackle and one that a Kiwi report noted as O’Brien ‘flopping in at the ruck to kill momentum’.
There is no doubt about it – the Lions revel in the dark arts of slowing down ruck ball. Snipes from New Zealand – home of serial ruck offender Richie McCaw – are rich but they do tell us one thing.
The Lions have them rattled and O’Brien has them petrified.
