Ryan can eclipse O’Connell, claims O’Brien

SEÁN O’BRIEN believes that rising Leinster star James Ryan can be even better than former Ireland captain Paul O’Connell. Ryan has been earmarked as a potential superstar since starring for the Ireland Under20s in the 2016 World Championships, and after a stunning rise through the ranks that saw him win his first senior international cap last summer before making his first Leinster appearance at the start of this season, O’Brien has explained that he has all the traits to reach the same heights as the Munster legend. ‘James is stone mad. Paulie was mad too but in a different way. You can’t really compare. Everyone is comparing him to Paulie but, physically, he is a specimen. He is a young man who is going to get bigger. He is a very good rugby player so he could be better than Paulie,’ said O’Brien. Ryan is a doubt for the Six Nations as he nurses an ankle injury that is expected to keep him out until the end of the month, but O’Brien believes Joe Schmidt has a stronger squad at his disposal than the one that finished second to England in last year’s competition. ‘You’d expect us to be in a good place. We’re picking from a stronger squad again,

it’s building nicely and there are younger guys coming in again who will add value. Ireland’s first test sees them travel to Paris to take on a France side now under the stewardship of Jacques Brunel, after Guy Noves became the first manager of Les Bleus to ever be fired. And O’Brien admits having a new head coach might make that February 3 opener a tricky task for Schmidt’s side. ‘It might do. You don’t know if they’re going to put a bit of structure on things or if they’re going to stay unpredictable.’