Sean O’Brien Reveals Disappointment On Missing All Blacks Win & How He Found Out They Won
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Ireland flanker Sean O’Brien has admitted he was disappointed to be left out of Ireland’s trip to Chicago.
The Leinster back row has only recently returned from a long-term injury, with Joe Schmidt feeling it was best he, along with Munster’s Peter O’Mahony- stay in Ireland and play for their province’s as they return to match fitness.
The Tullow Tank expressed his delight that his team-mates finally got over the line against New Zealand, but admitted that he wasn’t entirely on board with Schmidt’s decision to not include him in the sqaud, saying he would have been ‘100% if selected’.
“I wouldn’t say I completely agreed with it but that’s the call they made,” O’Brien said today at the Irish rugby press event.
“I did need more game time, but you always back yourself if called upon to do a good job.
“Looking at it now, I’m probably better off getting more game time like I did at the weekend and being introduced back in this week.
“You are disappointed that you could have been there. But that’s life, you’ve to go through these things but I’m looking forward to getting back on the field this week hopefully and that’s all I’m thinking about now.”
O’Brien also revealed that he was only able to watch the first half of the game in the airport with his Leinster team-mates before their flight back to Dublin following their win over Italian side, Zebre. Thankfully however, the pilot was able to inform them that Ireland had indeed beaten the All Blacks after 111 years of trying.
We got to the airport in Zebre and we got the first half, well, nearly all the first half and then we were on the plane,”
“I kept popping up to the pilot and asking him to check the score. He did, eventually. We didn’t see any of the second half. We were pretty wrecked after the game over there anyway. So maybe it was a good thing.”
O’Brien’s thoughts now turn to this weekend and the visit of Canada where he is expected to make his Ireland return along with Peter O’Mahony. No doubt he’ll want to show Schmidt what he’s been missing, and put himself in for contention for the return All Blacks game on November 19th
