Sean O'Brien: European Player of the Year – Rugby Union
Irish flanker Sean O Brien has been crowned the European Player of the Year for 2011, after his consistent and outstanding performances and his tremendous contribution to Leinster’s success in the Heineken Cup.
O’Brien has been the most active player on the field during the tournament and considering his performance in the Heineken Cup final against Northampton Saints, it was a well deserved title. Saints were blown away by a 33-22 loss last week.
This is the first time Sean O’Brien has been awarded such an accolade and seeing a 24-year-old getting a title of ‘Player of the Year’ is a remarkable achievement in itself. O’Brien made his debut at international rugby in 2009 and has made his career very
remarkable with his strong performances.
Sean O’Brien is a professional rugby union player who is an expert at back row and has been giving his services at this position since his kick start in rugby in 2007. Starting off from Under-20 tournament in 2007, he proved his mettle in the Gran Slam winning
side. He was called to the international elite squad in 2009 against Fiji for the end of the year tests. His superb performance against Springboks caught the attention from French clubs and he was offered some good deals by several teams. Irish Rugby Union
did not want to lose a gem like him and so he was offered a place in Leinster. Since then, he has capped the side 48 times and scored 50 points. His major strengths are fast running, rucking, ball carrying and defensive tackling.
To everyone’s amazement, O’Brien’s team-mates were also in the running for the title and he out did seniors like Isa Nacewa and Jamie Heaslip. Other shortlisted players were Northampton Saints’ Soane Tonga’uiha and Italian skipper Sergio Parisse.
There is a huge probability that Sean O’Brien will bag another trophy, as Leinster takes on Munster in a Grand Final for Magners League tournament. It is the most anticipated rugby clash of the month, as the rivalry between both sides is at its peak and
O’Brien is looking forward to grab title for his side and also the ‘Player of the Year’ award for the second time in one year.
O’Brien said, “It's been a fantastic year for me, and more importantly for Leinster. It's great to be presented with an award like this, but it has more to do with the team than it has to do with me.” He added, “Hopefully, this is only the start rather than
the end of our success in Europe, and of course, we've got another trophy to aim at this weekend.”
Derek McGrath, the Chief Executive for ERC believes that it wasn’t a difficult choice, considering the bar he had set at such a young age. O’Brien was awarded Man of the Match three times in the European Cup and had a substantial input in every match he
played for Leinster.
McGrath said, “Sean was an inspirational character at the heart of the Leinster pack in their victorious Heineken Cup season and proved himself to be a major force both as a ball carrier and defender.”
Talking about O’Brien’s efficiency at the back row and his crucial tries and his excellence McGrath added, “He played across the back row, scored vital tries and picked up three Heineken Man of the Match awards. His power, athleticism and consistency over
the course of the Heineken Cup made him an excellent choice for the ERC European Player of the Year Award.”
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