Sean O’Brien has his priorities straight and that’s why we respect him so much.
O’Brien will not care too much that he is the centre of a [rugby] media storm.
He did a spot of training and hopped into his jeep and shot off to The Ploughing Championship. He always has a million things to do and will not have stopped to see what pontification has been handed down by Lions cheerleaders or those offended that a professional sportsman in 2017 can not only have an opinion but opt to share it.
O’Brien was one of the stand-out Lions on their tour to New Zealand. He played his way into fitness, then Test contention and then burrowed under Kiwi skin with a series of battling performances in the drawn series.
The Kiwi players used to talk about Brian O’Driscoll and Paul O’Connell on 21sr century tours of old. In 2012 [Ireland] and 2017 [Lions], O’Brien was their go-to Irishman to rave about. The local players, coaches and media raved about him. It was hardly surprising that he was targeted for rough treatment by the All Blacks in Auckland and Wellington.
His frustration was that he felt New Zealand were there for the taking. That there was a chance to put the world champions away – to not only win the series but to whitewash them.
He looked around at the men he was training with and saw hardened yet hungry winners. Owen Farrell is demented about winning. Maro Itoje hardly knows it any other way. Toby Faletau would horse through a brick wall for his team and Conor Murray thrives on competition when it gets painfully tough.
New Zealand are extremely good but there were holes in their armour. Conrad Smith, Ma’a Nonu, Keaven Mealamu and Dan Carter had all gone – their replacements only bedding in – and both Nehe Milner Skudder and Dane Coles were not Test ready. Ryan Crotty and Ben Smith both had injury issues.
O’Brien backed his teammates and was dismayed at some of the lacklustre coaching on tour [namely backs/attack coach Rob Howley] and Warren Gatland allowing training sessions to stack up.
He kept his counsel until he did old Leinster and Ireland teammate Luke Fitzgerald a solid and appeared on The Left Wing podcast. As he generally does, O’Brien spoke with the screen/filter down. He is as honest about himself and his shortcomings as he is those of others. It was a casual conversation but those comments were always going to be picked up.
And so it was, a week later and down at Tullow RFC, O’Brien was asked about the Lions and he answered frankly. Yes he was proud but, yes, he wanted more.
Warren Gatland and many of the Lions cheerleaders may dine off a 1-1 draw against the All Blacks as some sort of shared history but O’Brien sees like like many of his teammates see it. Like the entire nation of New Zealand sees it. No-one won so there were no winners.
believe @SeanOBrien1987 has every right to his opinion on Lions coaches. Does anyone believe that was the best coaching lineup available?
— Will Carling (@willcarling) September 21, 2017
As former England and Lions centre Will Carling put it, all O’Brien did was offer his opinion and his belief that the next Lions team should go to South Africa with the very best coaching staff they can get.
In return, he has received praise for being forthright in some quarters while in others [The Telegraph and Wales Online] he has been lectured. A Telegraph piece written by Giles Mole declares:
‘Sean O’Brien has let the Lions down by publicly criticising the coaches’
Give over.
The gist of this piece is that O’Brien is finger-pointing and name-checking. It starts by saying honesty from sports stars should be applauded by in moderation, please. ‘Don’t spoil it, Sean’ he is told.
Many in the UK are not used to O’Brien like we are, in Ireland, so perhaps the overreaction to his comments arises from their unfamiliarity with his character. O’Brien will say to your face what others may whisper behind your back. He’s not backwards about coming forward and yet he is an affable, considerate man.
He knows he will look back on that tour, at the end of his days, and think, ‘We could’ve had them’.
Why nod his head and take the plaudits when he feels, deep down, something truly special could have taken place.
Don’t spoil it. Don’t spoil what? Take your draw and misty-eye it as much as you want. Sean O’Brien isn’t having it.
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