O’Donnell hounding Schmidt for a 7-Up
TOMMY O’Donnell has been in this position before. A year ago in Galway, he wore the Wolfhounds number 7 shirt against the Saxons, but that appearance wasn’t the precursor to Six Nations action.
Sean O’Brien — the world-class Sean O’Brien, as he is constantly described — was on deck throughout that ill-fated campaign under Declan Kidney, and it was only when the flanker took his barnstorming act to Australia on the Lions that O’Donnell finally gained the Test recognition he cravenly desired.
Now he might just secure another run — only in very different surroundings than on last June’s North American tour.
It’s not a lazy assumption to suspect that Joe Schmidt, Kidney’s successor, will back the guts of the side that ran New Zealand so close last time out in November when it comes to unveiling his team to begin Ireland’s Six Nations at home to Scotland tomorrow week.
If so, that means only two spots are really up for grabs — Tommy Bowe’s berth on the right wing and the big boots of O’Brien, the stricken openside whose season was derailed by surgery to sort out his dislocated shoulder.
Andrew Trimble just might get lucky in taking over from Bowe, Scmidt making reference on Wednesday to t heir s i milar physicalities.
But it’s the vacancy at seven that has meant O’Donnell’s outlook is now so very different heading into this latest Wolfhounds fixture.
With Chris Henry packed off home to Belfast for the weekend, the runes suggest the Ulster player, O’Brien’s understudy in last year’s championship until he got injured, is i n pole position to fill the breach.
However, an eye-catching effort from O’Donnell, just back from injury and hitting form at just the right time given his January displays for Munster, could enhance his credentials no end this evening at Kingsholm, the ground where he starred just a fortnight ago on Heineken Cup duty against Gloucester.
‘A year on I’m a lot more confident,’ suggests the 26-year- old who hails from a GAA background in Cahir, contrasting the callow rookie that pitched up at the Sportsground 12 months ago against the Saxons to the flying flanker who flew to England yesterday on a mission to impress and generate a selection headache.
‘There is no room to sit back. Last year I was a bit more overawed. Last year in Galway I was on a five-day turnaround [after playing for Munster the previous Sunday], so I had less time to learn the terminology.
‘It was my first time in camp. This time I’ve been in camps a couple of times. I know the termi-
“You have to back yourself, you can’t just tread water”
nology, know what to do, know the work that needs to be done. I just need to take the opportunity.’
O’Donnell’s designs on securing Six Nations i nclusion didn’t suddenly cloud his thoughts the Saturday night after Christmas when he learned O’Brien crocked his shoulder. Instead his aspirations to make the leap were sown pre- season, l ong before Ireland’s first- choice flanker was ruled out.
‘I went into this summer training with a view to the autumn internationals, and then once that was pushed back [due to injury] I was going to build towards the Six Nations.
‘You have to back yourself. You have to keep thinking that you’re good enough and you don’t want to tread water, so you have to keep going. And I want to keep going. I want to be the best seven in Munster and then put my hand up for Irish selection.
‘I really need to add the worldclass breakdown that Seanie has, to be a real nuisance around the breakdown l i ke the [ Richie] McCaws and others.
‘If you can disrupt ball, slow down ball two or three seconds any time you get in there, and just make a nuisance of yourself, whether it is a foot or a hand, you just create havoc. Then there are the other parts that I bring to the game, just keep bringing those abrasive carries and keep opening spaces.’
The priority today is simple. ‘It’s a case of go out and impress,’ explains O’Donnell, who describes the now retired David Wallace as the perfect guy to emulate due to his unwavering level of professionalism.
‘I haven’t had an opportunity to play with Joe as the coach yet, so I really need to nail down what my role is and just go out and impress and show what I can do in this system.
‘It [O’Brien’s absence] has really intensified the battle between myself and Chris, and Jordi [Murphy, the Wolfhounds replacement] has been hitting great form as well. He has had some great games with Leinster.
‘It’s a great position for Ireland to be in at the moment, that we have got four sevens. Losing Sean is obviously a big loss for Ireland but we have to step up and we have to fill that gap. It really is an opportunity for whoever gets the nod against Scotland.’
@heagneyl