If anyone embodies the qualities of the modern winger it is Tommy O’Brien. Starting on the right for Leinster, the suite of skills O’Brien displayed were one of the brighter aspects of a slow burn and ultimately emphatic win for Leinster against Sale at the Aviva Stadium.
O’Brien has the ability to stick his beak into a match from the off, successfully rising to claim a high kick launched into Leinster’s 22 before hitting a ruck seconds later, all in the opening minutes of the game.
After nine minutes, it was O’Brien who engineered Leinster’s first attack. A kick through along the right touchline and a chase took play well up the pitch before Sale fullback Joe Carpenter smothered the move.
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Coming in staccato bursts of engagement, O’Brien went for another high ball minutes later, this time alongside Leinster fullback Hugo Keenan, and when the play came back at them soon, after O’Brien again punched inside to make a tackle in the centre field.
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He had another excellent high-ball take after George Ford launched one into the Leinster half, and a minute later, poise ruled the moment as O’Brien interplayed with Keenan. A pass to the fullback, followed by the return, and again O’Brien eagerly looked to attack Sale with a kick-and-chase.
The move forced Ford to come across, but Leinster emerged with the ball in the Sale half before a knock-on.
More infield tackling on Sale winger Tom O’Flaherty and flanker Sam Dugdale, trying to steam out of his 22 with ball in hand, and O’Brien closed the first half as one of Leinster’s more urgent looking players.
His constant urge to get into the play in that phase contrasted with Reiko Ioane, whose lone break after a Jamison Gibson-Park kick through was the highlight of the opening 40 minutes.
In fairness to Ioane in his first game on the left wing, having previously played in the centre at Leinster, he did not get one pass to hand in the first half. Anything he received was of his own making with the kick-chase by Gibson Park the first glimpse of what Ioane could do.
O’Brien’s varied toolbox and his willingness to contest high balls and put in hard tackles on much bigger forwards provided Leinster with a much-needed energy. He also gave Leinster some gutsy character and an edge to their play, especially when things went a little stale in the first half and they appeared stuck in third gear.
More importantly, O’Brien got involved when Leinster were struggling for fluidity and dominance. In the second half, as they put on the pressure and upped the ante, O’Brien was not on the end of the early scoring along with Dan Sheehan and Keenan, but kept tracking players on the ball and playing the tigerish, aggressive way that has earned admirers.
When there wasn’t a lot of ball coming out to him, he went to work anyway. A crossfield kick from Harry Byrne floated a little too long for O’Brien to break just after the hour mark, but on 63 minutes he was finally rewarded for his wide-ranging industry.
It was outhalf Byrne who saw space behind the Sale defence and chipped through. O’Brien took on the task of running despite several Sale defenders crowding the landing zone by the left post.
O’Brien hustled between the Sale defenders, his unlikely touchdown bringing Leinster to a 31-6 lead, and in a convenient position to gift Byrne a handy conversion.
Sheehan may have won man of the match, but O’Brien showed his trademark hunger. He is promiscuous in the work he takes on, a grinding tackle in field just before his try typical of what he brings to Leinster.
