Jimmy O'Brien (rugby union)

Jimmy O'Brien (born 27 November 1996) is an Irish rugby union player who plays sevens for the Ireland national rugby sevens team and fifteens with the Leinster Rugby academy.

With the Irish sevens team he generally plays at centre, but can also fill in at fly-half. O'Brien played for Ireland at the 2018 Hong Kong Sevens qualifier, scoring four tries, but Ireland lost to Japan 7–12 in the semifinal and consequently failed to qualify as a core team for the 2018-19 World Series.[1] O'Brien played for Ireland on the London and Paris legs of the 2017-18 World Rugby Sevens Series; in those tournaments, despite its non-core status, Ireland surprised by finishing third and seventh respectively, with O'Brien scoring four tries across the two tournaments.[2]

O'Brien was born in Eadestown in County Kildare, Ireland. He played in his school rugby with Newbridge College. Although he played fly-half at school, he has moved to inside centre with the Leinster academy. His strengths in attack include a good kicking game, footwork, and passing, while in defence despite his lack of size he has a physical approach.[3] O’Brien also enjoyed a lengthy career with Eadestown G.A.A, playing a vital role as H2O technician for 2013 Minor Championship Campaign. He is widely regarded as the fifth best rugby player to come from the Eadestown Parish.