It was quite the journey for Jimmy O\u2019Brien from there to here, a long stint in the Test rugby wilderness and then a sudden return to prominence in July.<\/p>\n
He had encouragingly featured off the bench for Ireland in their Rugby World Cup quarter-final loss to the All Blacks in 2023, but the momentum of his breakthrough international season, which began with a November 2022 debut win against the Springboks, quickly stopped.<\/p>\n
Just three further Test appearances materialised, 2025 runarounds versus Georgia, Portugal and Japan, but his existence in the Leinster shadows meant his summer 2026 redemption came out of the blue.<\/p>\n
He was surplus to requirements with the Irish province qualifying for the Champions Cup final and going on to retain their United Rugby Championship title, but Andy Farrell saw something that has escaped Leo Cullen and named him in his squad of 36 for Nations Championship assignments versus Australia, Japan and New Zealand.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re in, don\u2019t f*** it up\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Ireland\u2019s cutting of ties with James Lowe forced the door ajar. Then came the pre-tour injury of Tommy O\u2019Brien, followed by Robert Baloucoune\u2019s late first Test cry-off, and the domino effect left Farrell taking a Sydney training ground walk in O\u2019Brien\u2019s direction to deliver a curt message.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat first week was Rob getting injured and he [Farrell] just said, \u2018You\u2019re in, don\u2019t f*** it up\u2019 when I was sitting down beside Hugo [Keenan], maybe. It was back at training,\u201d he revealed to Planet Rugby.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t too nervous when he said it; I was definitely nervous going into the game, but you just back yourself and you take your chances when you get them.\u201d<\/p>\n
What the 29-year-old O\u2019Brien found, having finally made the Irish team against a top-tier nation for the first time since October 2023, didn\u2019t surprise him. \u201cNot massively,\u201d he said when asked if he felt there was much change between Ireland<\/a> back then and how they now go about their business on the field.<\/p>\n \u201cLittle tweaks here and there but not like a big overhaul or anything like that. Kind of tweaks, new rules and that, but nothing massively, no.\u201d<\/p>\n The dismissive Ireland talk that Josh van der Flier \u2018hasn\u2019t seen much of\u2019 and his \u2018neutral\u2019 Greatest Rivalry verdict<\/a><\/p>\n O\u2019Brien went on to start all three tour matches<\/a>, one of just four players to do so (Stuart McCloskey, Jack Conan and Tom O\u2019Toole were the other three), and this unexpected redemption now has him back up the pecking order with the run-in to Rugby World Cup 2027 about to get started.<\/p>\n Not that he\u2019s looking ahead. \u201cThere\u2019s no point getting too ahead of yourself or too low; try to stay as even keel as you can, but it is definitely great to get to play,\u201d he said, summing up his tour without predicting what it could mean for him in the long run.<\/p>\n Back to his wilderness years, though. What was his toughest time when out of the loop following all the kudos he received for his abrasive cameo against the All Blacks<\/a>? \u201cMy lowest moment? Probably when I had the next injury after I had just come back from the \u201923 World Cup.<\/p>\n \u201cI played four or five matches, then had a neck injury and that knocked me out for about five or something months, so that was pretty frustrating.<\/p>\n Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as\u00a0a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a>\u00a0for world-class coverage you can trust.<\/p>\n \u201cI was a bit injured going into the World Cup<\/a> and then only got the game against New Zealand, did alright when I came off the bench, so I was hoping to springboard there in that season but to get that neck injury was frustrating, getting knocked out five, six months.\u201d<\/p>\n Injury setbacks unfortunately became common enough, including last season. \u201cI was probably in and around camps all the way through (since 2023) but just not really getting selected.<\/p>\n \u201cI had hammies and stuff during the (2025\/26) season, so I missed the autumn and came in Six Nations, but because I hadn\u2019t played I probably wasn\u2019t getting a look in and stuff. I have kind of been there, kind of in and around the squad the last couple of years, so it doesn\u2019t feel like it\u2019s a massive change.<\/p>\n The \u2018proud\u2019 feeling that helped Tommy O\u2019Brien cope with Ireland setback and the target now set for \u2018pinnacle of my career\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cYou kind of learn what you can\u2019t control, what you can control. You can\u2019t control how many chances you are going to get or how many games you are going to play, so I try and make the most of it when you do play, enjoy it and really take the chance.\u201d<\/p>\n