Watching Sean O’Brien from the stands at the Aviva Stadium, last November and December, it was clear that he was in a whole other battle away from the mere game at hand.
He willed and cursed and urged himself through Tests against South Africa and Argentina then did the same, for Leinster, against Exeter Chiefs. He was good in those three games and let nobody down but it was clear that he was not right.
At one stage of a feverish, hard-fought game against Chiefs, O’Brien cleared out a ruck, stopped to stretch his calf, picked himself up and made a carry that got his team over the gainline.
He was fighting against himself as well as trying to take a scrap to the English champions. He lasted 57 minutes but limped off at the same time as Leo Cullen replaced his entire front row.
Since that game, in mid December, O’Brien took time out as physios and medics tried to get a persistent hip issue sorted out. O’Brien made his comeback for Leinster in late March but it was his shoulder that gave out next. He lasted 26 minutes against Scarlets and, last weekend, 40 minutes against Treviso.
He did not appear for the second half of that shock Guinness PRO14 defeat to the Italians but Cullen insisted, post-match, that the flanker was always only going to play a half. On Friday, four days after O’Brien was listed as ’50/50′ to face Scarlets in the Champions Cup semi final, Cullen confirmed his player had been in for shoulder surgery [or, a “procedure”].
“Sean has been ruled out after his 40 minutes,” Cullen began.
“He didn’t come through this week. He has had a procedure done on his shoulder today.
“He was just in with the surgeon this morning. We will have a report in due course. I don’t know the full details.
“He went to see a specialist during the week and he got booked in for a slot today. We will find out the full extent of that over the next few days.”
The Leinster head coach would not offer up any timelines, so soon after O’Brien’s procedure, but it is unlikely that he will feature again for Leinster this season. Robbie Henshaw was out for 10 weeks after he underwent some minor shoulder surgery back in February. It is unclear how extensive O’Brien’s procedure was but returning for 2018/19 pre-season seems the most realistic target.
For Leinster, and Ireland, the 31-year-old is not as badly felt as it may have been in previous seasons due to the form of Josh van der Flier [before his knee injury] and Dan Leavy. Indeed, Leavy’s form has been so impressive that former Ireland stars James Downey and Kevin McLaughlin both insisted the 23-year-old was good enough to keep a fully fit O’Brien out of the No.7 jersey.
“He honestly looks like Sean O’Brien did 10 years ago,” said McLaughlin on The Hard Yards.
“That kind of fearless, goes out there, does his job player that plays with a smile on his face which I like. He always seems to be enjoying himself, never seems to be under pressure and he just goes out and does it.”
Getting compared to O’Brien is just about the highest compliment someone like McLaughlin, who played seven seasons with the Carlow native, could ever deliver.
The next couple of months will be extremely tough for O’Brien. Leinster will be pushing for trophies and, having already missed out on a Grand Slam, O’Brien will be restricted to a watching, supporting brief.
When the season wraps, Joe Schmidt will select an Ireland squad to tour Australia with one eye already on the World Cup, in Japan, next year. Leavy will be looking to lock down that No.7 jersey and will do battle with the brilliant likes of David Pocock and Michael Hooper.
O’Brien will be rehabbing his shoulder and setting his sights on future goals and calendar dates circled in red.
It is a hard road ahead but O’Brien has been here before. He has come back stronger and better. The next challenge will be tough as hell. He is not getting any younger and his body is taking more and more damage.
If you think Sean O’Brien is even close to being done, however, you don’t know him at all.
