Tommy O'Brien: 'I don't want to be a one-cap wonder'
All things going to plan, Tommy O'Brien should become a full Ireland international in the next two weeks. It's been a long time coming for the 27-year-old.
The fact that it's taken the Blackrock man so long to nail down his place in Leinster's starting XV has been more down to his injury record than any lack of will or ability.
Just over six months ago, he made what would have been a bold statement when he said he believed he just needed a run of games to prove to the Irish coaches he was ready to make the step up to Test rugby. He's backed up that talk.
At the time, he was priming himself for a return from a hamstring injury which sidelined him for three months. He cruelly picked up the injury in the process of scoring a try in Leinster's opening game of the BKT United Rugby Championship away to Edinburgh, and it was one that ruled him out of the Emerging Ireland tour of South Africa.
The Irish coaches showed faith in him by giving him a chance to impress for Ireland A against England A towards the end of February and he impressed enough to be brought into the wider senior squad later in the Guinness Six Nations.
His form since then has been as good as any winger in Ireland, starting nine of Leinster's final 13 games of the season, scoring three tries and establishing himself as first choice on the right wing for the province, with a highlight reel of moments in both attack and defence.
"I've loved my rugby the last few months," the wing said this week, ahead of Ireland's summer Tests in Tbilisi and Lisbon.
"I love just getting a run of games. It's something I haven't really had in my career, getting an extended period of games, and thankfully that tied in with the [URC] trophy.
"I guess I've known what I can do in training, but it's obviously behind closed doors so the general public wouldn't see it, but I had a bit of confidence in what I was doing, and the fact you're training in Leinster with such high level players, such international quality players, I took a bit of confidence from that and I felt I just needed to get a chance to get a couple of games under my belt."
Despite missing three months with that hamstring injury, the 12 games he played for Leinster this season are the most he's ever logged in a season, with his injury history limiting him to just 31 games in the previous five campaign.
If there is a silver lining to O'Brien's (below) injury this season, it's that he's coming into the summer feeling fresh rather than fatigued.
"It probably is something that potentially stood to me. I think I played 13 or 14 games this year where some guys would be in the 20s.
"It's not something I'd trade, I would rather play the 20-something games, but it's almost as if my season started in February or whenever I started playing games. So I'm enjoying that now and the body's feeling good.
"Injuries-wise I guess it was weird, I always would have been able to come back and have full faith - it's probably a credit to all the physios - but I never really felt coming back that I was running at 80% or 75% or whatever.
"Once I was back, I felt like I had full confidence in myself to be able to do whatever I felt like I needed to do."
Now that he's in the Ireland squad, he's planning to stay there.
With 16 Ireland regulars currently away on the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, this summer's squad has an inexperienced feel to it, and O'Brien is one of 12 uncapped players in the squad of 32, which will be captained by Craig Casey and coached by Paul O'Connell.
And having got a taste of international rugby for Ireland A in February (below), he believes he's ready for the real thing, either on the wing or at centre.
"I definitely don't want to be a one-cap wonder. Hopefully this is the start for me now of being in this squad and pushing for places.
"Obviously, there's guys away, Lowey [James Lowe] and Mack [Hansen] are away with the Lions, so there's two wingers there for Ireland, but I want to try stake a claim and make myself a mainstay in this squad and try to push [for a place in future squads].
"Obviously there's this summer tour and then you've November internationals and Six Nations and stuff.
"I'm dying to play a game for Ireland, so wherever they play me, I'll happily play.
"I think I probably have been viewed more as a winger at the moment, but if it's wing, if it's centre, if it's the 23 role, yeah, I'm happy to play wherever.
"It's what you dream of as a kid, getting to represent your country. There's 12 of us in here who haven't done it yet, so fingers crossed now as many of them can get that first cap."
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