Sean O'Brien laughs as he thinks about the remarkable 34 tackles which Josh van der Flier recorded against Connacht at the weekend. It was a Pro14 record from O'Brien's fellow back row.
"Yeah, it was phenomenal so it was," says O'Brien, who was speaking at an event for Life Style Sports on Wednesday.
"When I saw it yesterday, he has a serious engine in fairness to Josh. He works incredibly hard, is a great professional and he puts in big shifts every week he goes out.
"It's super-human and I don't think it will be broken for a long time - unless he breaks it himself again.
O'Brien's own personal record for tackles in a game, which he notched up in 2001, is 23. "You'd do well to get another 10 on top," he adds.
The 30-year-old was absent for Leinster's recent interpro games against Munster and Connacht owing to a hip injury. He will also miss this weekend's game against Ulster. Though, he hopes to be back for the Champions Cup games against Glasgow and Montpellier later this month.
"100 percent you do," answers O'Brien when asked if he's learned from previous injuries that there's no point in rushing himself back to action. Though, if there was a final this weekend, he says he'd be ready to rock.
You get a bit cuter and how to manage them and how to deal with them. When you've had a good few like I've had there's certainly no point in rushing back because that's when something else goes.
I've taken my time and just made sure it's right because there are loads of lads at the minute playing really well so there's no point in me going out there 50% when there are lads that are playing at 100.
Sean O'Brien, Joey Carbery and Andrew Porter were in the RDS to launch Life Style Sports' latest fan competition. Fans attending the next four home games should keep an eye out for the Life Style Sports stamped seats. If you find yourself in a special seat and are wearing the latest Leinster Rugby jersey, be sure to take s selfie with the stamp tagging @LifeStyleSportsRugby on Instagram to win a €50 gift card. Life Style Sports is an official retail partner of Leinster Rugby.
Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
