Ireland wing Jimmy O'Brien is flying high with momentum, following a strong return to the test arena this past Summer.
Join the RUCK’s WhatsApp community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.
O'Brien was a late change for Ireland's opening Nations Championship match against Australia in Sydney, as he replaced Ulster wing Robert Baloucoune for the hard-fought victory at Allianz Stadium.
O'Brien went on to then start against Japan and the All Blacks, to complete a solid Southern Series of international action.
Speaking at the official launch event for the Ireland 2026/27 kit in Dublin, the Leinster wing shared how he received quite the no-nonsense pep talk from head coach Andy Farrell, after Baloucoune was withdrawn from the Wallabies test with a hamstring issue.
"That first week was when Rob got injured, he [Andy Farrell] said 'you're in. don't f*** it up'. I sat down beside Hugo [Keenan], and you just then go back into training - I hope it went well.
"I wasn't too nervous when he said it, but then I was definitely nervous going into the game [against Australia]. But he was just like 'back yourself..' he said 'take your chances if you get them.'"
O'Brien looked back upon the Nations Championship, in what was a long awaited return to consistent international game-time for the 29-year-old.
Ireland's campaign across Australia and New Zealand could be fairly described as a 'mixed bag' of sorts, with two wins from three tests, albeit with the unwanted asterisks of less than convincing victories.
"Exactly, even the first game [33-31 win against Australia] was a great win, but it wasn't probably the best performance. Japan [36-20 win], it was a bit better, but again, probably wasn't the full eighty minute performance.
Then, a pretty frustrating one against New Zealand [40-21 defeat] at the end. So, we want to get to that final, the Nation's Championship, we have to win every game."
O'Brien's latest appearances in the famous green shirt marked his 12th, 13th and 14th hit-outs for his country, since making his test debut against the Springboks in Dublin, during the 2022 Autumn Internationals.
Leading into that match at the Aviva Stadium, the last man to find out the news upon his incoming Ireland debut was O'Brien himself, as the Leinster man revealed how his friends and family actually leaked the news to him, rather than having the call-up come from Andy Farrell.
"It's honestly happened to me a lot of times over my career [called up as short-notice injury cover]. It happened to me for my first cap. I only found out the day before.
"I was supposed to play for Ireland A, and then Robbie Henshaw did his hamstring, and actually all my friends knew before me.
"Because it's your first cap, you get your family in [tickets to the match] and stuff. So they all actually knew, and I didn't know!"
"The first cap, I half had a clue, because Will Connors [Leinster teammate] rang me up, said something weird on the phone.
"He acted all weird, and I was kind of like, 'that's real strange'. I'm pretty sure because he thought I already knew. So I half had an inclination, but yeah, it was Faz both times [who told him]'.
It has certainly been a hard-fought comeback to the green jersey for O'Brien, who wrestled valiantly back from an arduous neck injury he sustained towards the tail end of 2023.
The versatile back-three man described this as the 'lowest moment' in his story.
"Lowest moment? I had a neck injury when I just came back from the 2023 World Cup. I played four or five games, had a neck injury, and then that knocked me out for five months.
"So, I was pretty frustrated because I was a bit injured going into World Cup, and obviously only got the game against New Zealand, but I did all right there when I came off the bench.
"I was hoping that would springboard me at the end of the season. So to get that neck injury was pretty frustrating.
"After five or six months. You learn that you can't control injuries, you can't control how many chances you're going to get or how many games you're going to play.
"So, I am trying to make the most of when I do play and go out and enjoy them."
To echo the latest advice from Farrell, O'Brien added. "You have to take the chances."
Given his own personal track record with long stretches out on the injury ward, O'Brien gave a mention to a fellow Ireland star who is battling his own enforced set-back.
Fly half Jack Crowley is unexpected to feature for either Munster or Ireland until at least the start of the new year, as Crowley rehabs through a problematic leg injury, that causes the out-half to lose power in his running and when striking the ball.
"I don't know too much about it, but I just saw that. Munster released a couple of days ago that he was out to New Year, which is pretty devastating news for him.
"I feel for him, it seems like a bit of a weird one.
"I don't know the ins and outs right now, to be honest. But it's tough, I've had a few bad ones, not as bad as some some lads have gone through, but it's a tough place to be when you're out with that."
Whilst the prospect of the 2027 Rugby World Cup is an exciting goal to chase, the Leinster man is focussing on the here and now, as the United Rugby Championship gets back up and running.
